FAKE First Year Together: A New Day May
by Brit Columbia
Summary: Summary: A continuation of the manga, from the end of book seven. Ryo adjusts to his new life while dealing with homophobia and an interesting new case. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day ( May)**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter one is Mature. Coarse language

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter two is within a page or two of being finished. I will be posting my completed chapters on my Livejournal page at http/brit-columbia. at least a week before I post anywhere else, so if you're not the patient type, go there and look for the LJ cut.

Thank you to my beta, Blue Simplicity. I'm grateful to you for your time, suggestions, and insight.

**Chapter one**

Ryo awoke to find Dee's handsome face looking down at him, long black bangs tickling his skin. He reached up to push some of that hair up out of the way, and the light let in by that action suddenly intensified the green of Dee's eyes. Ryo's breath caught in his throat.

"Dee," he murmured.

"So do you still love me?"

Ryo grinned. "Hmmm...Lemme check my injuries..." He moved experimentally, wincing a little. "Nope, not too bad. I guess I do still love you, after all."

"Well that's a relief," remarked Dee, who actually did look slightly relieved. "I guess in that case, I should go a little easier on you tonight, huh?"

"What do you mean, 'tonight'?" Ryo exclaimed. "Why don't we find out whether I can move without pain first, before we start planning 'tonight'?"

Dee raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Dude, there's nothing wrong with you that a good...stiff---"

"Dee!"

"--cup of COFFEE won't cure!" Dee sat up with a wink, and threw the blankets to one side. "And I'm just the guy who can make it for you-- that is, if I'm allowed to offer you your own refreshments?"

"Any time, Dee. Sorry about that," Ryo said, a little ruefully. "Just don't make a mess!" he called after his retreating partner.

Ryo sat in the middle of the empty bed and looked around his sun-bright bedroom. Yes, everything was still the same: the prints on his wall, the book on his nightstand, the view from the bedroom window, the sounds of the city outside. Except that everything was totally different. As of today, he was officially involved in a relationship. He wasn't single anymore. He was in love. With a man. Despite the last three weeks of thinking and planning, it still took some getting used to.

He stripped the sheets from the bed. They'd been fresh yesterday, but they sure needed a wash now. He threw them in the laundry hamper on his way to the shower. In the kitchen, Dee was clattering around and singing along to the radio, a funny song that made Ryo smile. Suddenly there was a scuffling kind of sound, followed by a thud. The singing stopped abruptly. "Oops," a voice said.

"Whatever it is, I don't wanna know about it," Ryo called out as he shut the bathroom door.

"You got it, babe!" Dee's voice came back heartily.

Ryo sighed and peeled off the pajama bottoms he had inexplicably donned for the short walk to the bathroom. What on earth had he gotten himself into?

&&&&&&&

"Keys, " said Ryo, holding out his hand.

"What? No way, bro. We're not at work now."

"Makes no difference. The terms you agreed to, right before you lost the bet, were, 'Whenever we go somewhere by car, for the entire month of May, I drive, and you sit quietly in the passenger seat and refrain from making helpful suggestions or giving me any advice of any kind.' We never specified work vehicles only. "

"We didn't have to! It was clearly understood," retorted Dee. "Besides this is MY car. I should at least get to drive my own car."

The temperature around Ryo suddenly dropped by a few degrees.

"Don't you trust me to drive _your_ car, Dee?"

Dee's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa there, let's not be getting all pissy over something I never actually said. Here you go, take 'em. I'm getting kind of used to having a chauffeur, anyway. "

The two men were outside Dee's apartment building, and they had come here specifically to fetch the car. Dee had not been home in a couple of days. In fact, he and Ryo had hardly been out at all, save for a couple of trips to the convenience store near Ryo's place. He glanced up at the bay window of his unit before he got into the car. After the last few nights of going to sleep with Ryo in his arms, he just couldn't imagine returning to his empty apartment. He knew he would have to, though. Bikky was due back this evening. He sighed.

&&&&&&

"Aww, Ryo, you didn't have to come get me. Don't you think I can find my own way home by now?" Bikky, flanked by a group of kids of all ages, was looking distinctly embarrassed.

"Of course you can, but you know I don't like you taking short-cuts through those alleys in the dark," Ryo said. "And what about Carol, huh?"

Dee noticed that the kids with Bikky were looking from him to Ryo with great interest. His eyes narrowed a little as he smoked.

"Oh, are you here with a car?" said Carol, stepping forward from amidst a gaggle of girls and grinning winsomely up at both of them.

"Of course we are," Ryo said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "We're here to make sure you get home safely, but first we want to take you to our place for some ice cream, if that's all right with you."

"Sounds wonderful!" Carol said and turned to wave at her friends. They sighed and waved back, their eyes sweeping enviously over Dee and Ryo. Ice cream, two good-looking older men, AND Bikky Goldman. That girl didn't know how lucky she was. Except she probably did, the bitch!

"You coming Bikky?" Ryo called over his shoulder.

"Guess so," Bikky muttered, glancing apologetically at his friends, before shouldering his bag and hurrying after Ryo and Carol.

Dee fell into step beside him. "Sorry, man, but he's gotta be psychic or something," he said.

"Yeah right! Like this doesn't have YOU written all over it!" Bikky snarled.

"Hey come on, punk," Dee snapped back. "When have you ever known me to jam up any of your plans that involved you not being around, huh?"

"Shit," growled Bikky. "Well how the hell did he know?"

"Like I said, psychic. Just don't get caught, you little dork. Whatever it is, you're probably too young for it to be legal."

"You mean YOU don't know what I was planning?"

"Oh, I've got one or two ideas, but no, Ryo didn't fill me in on the details."

"Hmmm..."

"Give it up, twerp. Looks like we're doing ice cream."

Leaving Bikky to slouch along in his wake, Dee caught up with Ryo and Carol.

"Hey, Dude, gotta make a stop at the corner store," he said. "I think we need ice cream."

"Oh no, don't worry. We've got lots of ice cream," Ryo said reassuringly, including Carol in his glance.

"Uhh...not exactly."

Ryo was unlocking Dee's car and popping open the trunk for Carol and Bikky's bags. He gave Dee a suspicious look. "Well, how much do we have left?"

"That would be exactly none."

"Dee! It was untouched as of two days ago. Are you saying you managed to eat an entire carton of ice cream --without my noticing-- in the last, uh, 24 hours?"

"I wish," grumbled Dee, getting into the passenger seat.

"Oh man, the Perv has been there for 24 hours," Bikky's voice complained from the vicinity of the back seat. "That means we'll be damn lucky if there's any food left in the fridge at all."

"Can it, Monkey Brat. I left you lots of spinach and broccoli, no need to thank me."

Ryo started the car. "Dee, don't change the subject," he warned. "Why don't we have any ice cream?"

"Well, it's your fault, actually, Ryo."

"What? How the hell can it be MY fault? I haven't even so much as cracked the lid."

"Yeah, but you're the one who insists on keeping the coffee in the freezer so it'll be 'fresher', instead of in the cabinet, like a normal person."

"Yes, and what's so strange about that? Just because years of smoking have left your taste buds incapable of appreciating a really fresh cup of coffee doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer."

"Ryo, I bet if you took a poll, you'd find that you're the only person you know who keeps the coffee in the--"

"Dee," Ryo interrupted him, "What does this have to do with the..._fate_ of my ice cream?"

"Well, when I was getting the coffee out of the freezer, the ice cream kinda leapt to its death."

"What? You expect me to believe that?"

"Yeah, Moron, can't you come up with a better one than that?"

"You! Keep out of this!" snapped Dee, glaring over his shoulder. "And, you!" --turning to Ryo --" A little trust would be nice. I did not eat the goddamn ice cream, all right?"

"Well, why couldn't you just pick it up and put it back in the fridge, then?" asked Ryo in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Something's wrong with your freezer, Ryo. The ice cream was a little soft. Carton split open, and when I tried to pick it up, it just slid out of the box and onto the floor. I HAD to throw it out. And clean it up!"

"And why am I just learning about this now?"

"You said you didn't wanna know!" Dee was indignant.

"Well you should have at least told me about the freezer," said Ryo. "There could be food spoiling in --"

"Whoa, Freddie's Market!" Carol sang out from the back seat. "I bet we could buy ice cream there!"

Ryo took the hint and pulled into the parking lot. Dee handed Carol some money and told her to go and choose two tubs of whatever she wanted, and to be sure and take Bikky with her.

"As if I'm gonna sit here listening to your bullshit stories," muttered Bikky, slamming the car door and hurrying after Carol.

Dee turned to Ryo with a grin. "Come on, baby, say you believe me."

"Dee Laytner, it's not like you've never been untruthful before," Ryo said sternly, but with affection dancing in his eyes. "What about the time you broke my cup and said the janitor had done it? And the time --"

"Just shut up and kiss me before the house apes get back," said Dee, leaning forward and cupping Ryo's jaw.

Ryo looked around nervously, and shrank back a little. "Dee! This is a well-lit parking lot."

"Aah, who cares? Just give me a ten second kiss. The brats will take longer than that to choose their ice cream."

"Dee, I..."

Dee abruptly closed the distance between them, and then his lips were pressing gently up against Ryo's. Ryo tried to pull back, but suddenly his senses were spinning, and his hand found its way into Dee's hair. It was a heated kiss, awakening all the memories of what they had done the last few nights, and again this afternoon. Ten seconds came and went. Ryo responded helplessly, unable, as usual, to deny the power of Dee's kiss, or to even be the one who broke it first.

Unfortunately, it was broken for them by a loud rapping on the driver's side window. They sprang apart guiltily, a blush spreading over Ryo's face. Expecting Bikky, Dee looked up, and saw two hostile and hate-twisted faces leering back at them. A pair of men stood next to the car, glaring at them and hurling insults.

"Hey, ya fuckin' faggots, get a fuckin' room. No, better yet, get the fuck off this planet."

"Yeah, you sick disgusting creeps, d'ya have to try and do each other right out here where people have to see it?"

One look at Ryo's shocked and frozen face, and Dee instantly felt enraged. He jumped out of the car, slamming the door, and stalked toward the two men.

"You got some kind of problem, dickheads?" he snarled.

They glanced at each other and looked Dee over, sizing him up. He was big, but so were they. And there were two of them and only one of him, not counting that nervous looking guy inside the car. The greasier of the two snorted with crude laughter.

"Looks like we got a knight in shining armor here, Frank," he sneered, gesturing at Dee with what appeared to be some kind of hot dog laden with condiments. "Yo, Sir Fag! I hate your fuckin' city, mainly because it's full of disease-carrying homos like you. You better lose the attitude or you're gonna lose a couple teeth."

Dee was glad he'd left his new jacket in the car. Wouldn't do to get blood on it before he'd worn it even three times. He'd do this in his shirt sleeves if he had to. Adrenaline coursed through his body and he glared at the abusive pair in front of him with eyes as hard as diamonds.

end of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Day**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter one is Mature. Coarse language

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. I'll also post **chapter three** on Mediaminer today. You can find **Chapter four** on my Livejournal page at 

Thank you to my beta, Blue Simplicity, for your encouragement and support.

**A New Day ** Chapter two

Bristling with rage, Dee faced the two sneering men in the parking lot.

"Yeah, a faggot with attitude. What the fuck is the world coming to, huh?" Frank snickered.

"Shit, yeah, I got a problem," Larry said to Dee. "I just saw something so fuckin' disgusting that I can't eat this chili d-- OOF!"

He bent double and dropped to his knees as Dee's fist slammed into his stomach. The chili dog went spiraling out of his hand.

A veteran of many a street fight, Dee ducked reflexively as the other man's fist passed harmlessly over his head, and came up with a solid left hook to the jaw before the guy had time to recover. As the first one rose to his feet with a muffled curse, Dee stepped neatly between them, and seizing each man by the collar, cracked their heads together with a well-timed jerk. Both cried out and tumbled to the pavement.

Towering over the two men on the ground, who were clearly having second thoughts about getting back up to challenge him, Dee became aware that several pairs of eyes were on him. A white-faced Ryo hovered by the open car door, a few paces off to his left. Bikky and Carol stood in the open doorway of the convenience store, with several other interested patrons of the establishment. It came to Dee that he'd better finish this up and that they should all get the hell out of there ASAP. He addressed the two on the ground.

"You two dipshits got anything else to say?" Dee cracked his knuckles suggestively.

They shook their heads, mumbling, "No, man," and "Nah", respectively.

"Go on, then get the fuck outta here!"

They scrambled to their feet and shambled off without looking back. Dee was tempted to yell after them a reminder to tell all their friends they'd got the shit kicked out of them by a faggot, but one look at Ryo's face and he knew he was in trouble enough already.

"Dee, are you out of your mind? Do I have to remind you that you're a grown man and a police detective?" Ryo ground out between clenched teeth. "You can't allow yourself to be caught brawling in convenience store parking lots. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Way to go, Pervert! We can always count on you to lose it and liven up a dull evening." Bikky's words were dismissive, but he was grinning and his eyes sparkled at Dee.

"Lay off him, Bikky," said Carol. "I'm sure those two creeps deserved it, whatever they did. Why didn't you arrest them, Dee?"

"What, and spend an hour at the station filling out paperwork when I could be eating ice cream with you?" Dee winked and held open the car door for her. "Come on rugrats, hop in. Let's get home before it melts."

Ryo was grimly silent for the rest of the short drive home, but it was made less apparent by the lightly insulting banter that Bikky and Dee instinctively kept going between them. They continued it through the lobby of Ryo's apartment building and all the way up the stairs, before Carol finally put a stop to it.

"Enough, guys!" she complained. "If I have to listen to this for one more minute, I'm going home, ice cream or no. I'm serious!"

Bikky immediately fell silent, and Dee grabbed the opportunity to twap the kid's head from behind with his thumb and forefinger, knowing that there would be no retaliation.

"Want me to get some bowls out, Ryo?" Carol asked as she headed into the kitchen with one of the shopping bags.

"Sure, Carol, thanks." Ryo gave her a smile that was trying to be bright as he shrugged out of his jacket.

Bikky and Carol had taken their third bowls of ice cream into Bikky's room so that Carol could help him unpack. Dee sat at the kitchen table, long legs stretched out before him, licking ice cream off his spoon and watching his lover as he put the rest of the ice cream away. Instead of returning to the table, Ryo started frowning over the contents of the freezer, picking items up and checking them, then putting them back. He could feel Dee's eyes on him.

"Ryo," Dee said.

"Are you sure there's something wrong with my freezer?" Ryo asked.

"Ryo!"

"Because everything seems to be frozen normally."

Dee sighed and got to his feet. "That's because I reset it colder after I cleaned up the ice cream mess," he said. He took the freezer door from Ryo's hand and closed it firmly. "Talk to me."

Ryo shifted his feet. "It does feel a little sticky on the floor down there..." He looked down.

"Look, Ryo, I understand that you're pissed. I shouldn't have mixed it up with those two guys in the parking lot like that. I lost my temper, all right? That has occasionally been known to happen in the history of Dee. I'm sorry, OK? Why don't you just yell at me and get it over with, already?"

Ryo's eyes fastened on Dee's chest. "You have ketchup on your shirt," he murmured.

"Well, that's what happens when you punch out a guy armed with a chili dog," Dee said carefully, not taking his eyes from Ryo.

Ryo's mouth hardened a little, and he looked away. "I think I should mention the freezer to the superintendent," he said.

Dee sighed, deflated. "Translation: 'go home, Dee, and throw your shirt in the laundry. Don't come back tonight. See you at work tomorrow.' Okay, all right. Not a problem. I'll drop Carol off at home on my way." He started to turn away, but Ryo's hand came up and took hold of the collar of his shirt. Dee looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, by the way," Ryo said, finally raising his eyes to Dee's. There was the barest hint of mischief and warmth in them, which had an instant heartening effect on the other man.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I'm pissed. Yes, I'll probably forgive you. And, yes, I still love you." Ryo pulled him closer and kissed the tip of his nose. "Now, go. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to Dee and Carol, Bikky headed back into his room. Ryo followed him to the door, and hesitated. Should he talk to the boy now? Ryo had so far not voiced his concerns about his suspicions concerning Bikky's latest activity, because he was still hoping he was wrong.

"Yeah, Ryo?"

"You must be pretty beat, huh?" _Urgh._ That was not exactly what he had intended to say.

"Yeah, but it's a good kind of beat. Besides, I'm young and strong, so no problem."

"Bikky, I --"

"So, is everything okay between you and the moron?"

Ryo blinked in surprise. "Uh...yeah."

"You guys talked and all while I was gone?"

"Yeah, we did." Ryo was a bit nonplussed because this was not at all the conversation he'd been planning on having. However, this particular conversation was important, too. Bikky was opening drawers with apparent casualness and pulling out clothes for school tomorrow, but Ryo could sense that his mood was anything but casual.

"How did he react when you told him that for some strange reason you love him?"

Ryo snorted in amusement. "I'm sure you don't really want to know the answer to that one. You know him."

"Ick, yeah, you're right. Sorry I asked. So, uh...he's not showing any signs of heading for the hills, now that he finally got what he wanted?"

Ryo's eyes met Bikky's. "Of course not," he said. "Don't you understand, yet? We love each other. We're both in it for the long haul."

"Well, good then," Bikky said, inspecting one of his T-shirts. "'Cause I thought about it a lot while I was at camp, about what you said before I left. And I thought, either way, whether he stays or leaves, it's good for me. But...I want you to be happy."

"I am happy, B. Thank you," Ryo said softly. He pulled the boy into a hug, and was pleased when Bikky briefly hugged him back. In the last 6 months or so, as he had been approaching teenhood, Bikky had become less touchy-feely than he had been when he was younger, and Ryo missed the hugs.

"Is it OK if I watch TV for half an hour or so before bed?" Bikky asked.

"Yeah, sure, as long as there aren't any pressing homework assignments that I don't know about."

"No, because they made us do it at camp! Can you believe it? We had to bring our textbooks and everything! Like we didn't have enough to carry, already."

Ryo grinned. "Camp seems to have changed a lot since I was a kid. Go watch TV, but don't get stuck into any movies or anything. Just half an hour, okay?"

"Promise!" said Bikky, heading toward the living room.

&&&&&&&&

Alone in his bedroom, Ryo got undressed for bed. It felt strange not to have Dee there, especially now that everything had changed between them. He looked over at his parents' bed. It had certainly seen a lot of action in the last few days. He wondered what they thought about this, up there wherever they were, and if they were surprised that their son had turned out to be gay. He got some clean pajamas out of his dresser, frowning a little in thought.

Was he truly gay? He was still wondering about that. Apart from a couple of flings, there had only been three real girlfriends in his life, but none of them had captured his heart the way Dee had. He walked to the mirror and looked at himself. There were..._marks_ on his neck and chest, put there in passion by his male lover. That man had done other things, too, had taken him to heights of pleasure and abandon that he had never thought possible, not with anyone, male or female.

Ryo was far from sexually inexperienced. He had enjoyed having sex with women. He liked their curves, their high, breathy voices and the way they got wet when they got excited. Most of them were smaller than him, and he enjoyed being gentle with their soft, female bodies. He had always been a man who appreciated femininity.

But, Dee. No femininity there. Dee was tall, taller than him, and he outweighed him, too. His body was all hard muscle, angles and planes. He also had curves, but they were masculine curves. Ryo still remembered his shock the very first time Dee had ever kissed him in the park outside Richard Feldman's house. Although covered in multiple bruises and suffering from a broken arm, his partner had used his strength to yank Ryo toward him and take his lips in a brief, searing kiss. Every detail of that moment was permanently etched in Ryo's memory: the distant sounds of the sirens coming toward the house, the oxygen-rich night smell of the trees and grass, the scratchy feel of Dee's stubble brushing against the corner of his mouth as he moved his face away. But mostly the look of naked and intense desire that his partner had fixed him with in those heart-stopping moments after the kiss had ended. Ryo had been struck speechless. He had never felt a man's mouth on his before. And the most appalling thing was that for a second or two, he had actually wanted to kiss Dee back.

And now, he freely admitted to himself that he loved kissing Dee, and in fact, loved the fact that his partner's body was male, and even loved what was between his legs! Dee's body was beautiful to Ryo, and so was his face, especially his eyes, because they held all the feeling that that smart mouth often denied.

How could this happen? Ryo asked himself. How could he suddenly go from being straight to being gay like that? Except that it hadn't been sudden. His mind went back over various times in the past two and a half years when he had been conscious of Dee's attractiveness. There had been a hundred such moments, all ruthlessly fought down. I do not like him like that, I am not gay, had been his oft-repeated mantra to himself. But his body and his feelings had finally betrayed him for the fraud that he was.

He wondered, and not for the first time, if he might actually be bisexual, like Dee. He made a mental note to ask Dee about that at some opportune future time.

His pajamas securely buttoned, he lay down in bed and pulled the covers up over himself.

Dee. Best not think about him right now. He was still annoyed with him, he reminded himself. _How dare he go brawling in a public place like that, in front of the kids? And how dare he do it on MY behalf?_ Ryo asked himself indignantly. _What am I, some fragile creature to be protected? Is that how he sees me? _ He turned over angrily onto his side and burrowed his face into the pillow, which smelled like...

"No, that's not possible. I changed the sheets." He said aloud, blinking into the darkness. For a moment he had thought the pillow smelled like Dee. _Yeah, sure,_ he thought, smiling slightly at his own foolishness, but hugging the pillow nonetheless. As his mind and body relaxed, a flurry of images swirled around him and chased his mind into oblivion: Dee's tongue licking ice cream off his spoon, Dee throwing his head back as climax broke over him, Dee's confident hands inserting a magazine of bullets into his gun, those same hands clenched into white-knuckled fists, a red stain, like blood, blossoming on a white shirt. Ryo's dreams, like his heart, were impassioned and unquiet.

End of chapter two


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Day**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter three is Mature. Coarse language, no sex.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter four will go up on my Livejournal page later today at you to my beta, Blue Simplicity, for keeping me pointed in good directions.

**A NEW DAY **

_Chapter three_

The door banged open and JJ erupted into the room, eyes darting around in search of his target.

"He's not here," Ryo said without looking up from a pile of photographs on his desk.

JJ put a hand on one of his hips. "Well, don't you know where he is?"

"Yeah, but would he thank me for telling you? Now there's a question I think I know the answer to."

JJ pouted a little. "Well, I have an important message for him from the Chief. Come to think of it, I should probably tell you, too

"And why is that?"

JJ sighed. "He wants to see you two in his office ASAP. Not sure what it's about."

"What? Honestly, JJ, you should have just said so at the beginning," said Ryo, standing up hastily and stuffing the photos back into the manila envelope where they belonged.

"Why don't you go along to the Chief's office right away, and I'll find Dee for you and let him know where to join you?" JJ suggested hopefully.

"Fine, whatever," said Ryo. "He's on the roof having a smoke."

JJ vanished instantly, leaving no trace of himself in the long corridor which Ryo stepped out into a moment later. Ryo gave his head a slight shake of exasperation. He strode off down the hall and met Dee coming up the stairwell with a cup of coffee in each hand.

"Chief wants us," Ryo informed him.

"Damn that badger! This better not take too long. Don't we have an appointment at three?"

"Um, yeah. I wonder what he wants?" murmured Ryo to himself.

Dee glanced over at him. There had been minimal eye contact and communication from Ryo all day. It was like an extension of his behavior last night, except Dee knew he had not dreamed the part about getting his nose kissed. He sighed. His partner was a man of many moods, and Dee just did his best to hang on for the ride.

"He probably just wants to load more cases on us, as if we're not busy enough already," he grumbled, taking a swig of his coffee.

Ryo didn't answer, which didn't surprise Dee, and they lapsed into silence as they walked down the hall toward the Chief's office.

&&&&

"Do we know if he was having trouble at school?" Dee asked.

"His dad didn't mention anything about that," the Chief replied. "You can ask the parents when you see them. Just find the kid quick. I've known Mike Abernathy a long time, since we were both on the beat together. A few years ago, he went in for a desk job over at I.A. He's hoping to keep this as quiet as possible. I told him I'd put my best guys on it."

"Did he--" Ryo began, but the Chief cut him off.

"Everything I know about this case --and that ain't much-- is in the file, there, Randy. Look it over tonight and tell me what you're gonna do about it tomorrow. Now, get out of here, guys. I got work to do, unlike some people." The Chief clamped his cigar back in his mouth and fixed them with an irascible glare.

Dee, always glad to be dismissed, was on his feet immediately. "Come on Ryo, let's get back to that MOUNTAIN of investigations we were in the middle of before this latest interruption."

"Laytner!" The Chief growled warningly.

&&&&&&&&&

A little later, they were exiting the station parking lot in Dee's car. Dee sat in the passenger seat, trying hard not to give Ryo driving and route advice. He distracted himself by playing with the radio and complaining about the new case the chief had just given them.

"It seems like we're getting stuck with yet another case that should be going to Juvie," he said.

"Yeah, but why us? Why not Drake and JJ?" Ryo was frowning slightly as he drove.

"'Cause we're better than Drake and JJ. Hey, you missed Fourth!"

Ryo ignored that last remark. "OK, you might get me to agree with you there, but this is not a high profile case. This one could've been given to anybody. There must be some reason why he gave it to us."

"It's probably got something to do with you being such a 'family man'," Dee said.

Ryo glanced quickly at him. "You think so?"

"We'll find out if I'm right. Damn walrus. Hey, where exactly are we going?"

"Bikky's school," Ryo said apologetically. "This'll only take a few minutes, I hope. Sorry about that."

"Ah, don't worry about it," said Dee, who was quite pleased to be taken along on whatever personal thing Ryo was up to with Bikky. It was a clear sign that Ryo wanted his company, maybe even his support. "So, this is our three o'clock 'appointment', is it? Didn't know you had it in you."

Ryo gave him an amused look, but forbore to say anything.

Dee was surprised when Ryo parked halfway down the block from the school, and made no move to get out of the car.

"Uh, we goin' in or what?" Dee pulled a smoke from the pack in his shirt pocket and lit it.

"Not yet. There's something I want to check out. Let me know if you see him."

Dee nodded. "You were all edgy about getting him from the bus station, yesterday, too. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I hope," Ryo replied. "I've just got a bad feeling, that's all."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then Dee said, "Had an interesting conversation in the car with Carol last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She congratulated me."

"What for?"

"Bagging you, doofus. She also warned me, on pain of losing her affections forever, not to break your heart."

Ryo stared at Dee for a moment, then laughed. "That sounds like her," he said. "She's really happy for us, Dee."

Dee blew smoke out the window. "I ask you, do I LOOK like the heart-breaking type?"

"Yep," said Ryo.

"Whaddaya mean, 'yep'? Don't you even want to think about it for a few minutes first?"

"Nope," said Ryo.

"Yo, Bikky and crew at two o'clock. Headed this way."

"Let's hope he doesn't see us."

Dee sprawled with his back to the passenger window, effectively blocking Ryo from view. Ryo's eyes stayed on Bikky, who was coming toward them, but on the opposite side of the street. He was in the company of his usual posse, plus a few other slightly older kids that Ryo didn't know. As soon as they had gone by, Ryo was out of the car, followed by Dee.

The teenagers ahead of them were too busy talking, laughing, and insulting each other to notice that they were being followed. Presently, they stopped at the entrance to an alley, and the noise they had been making suddenly stopped. One of the older boys slung an arm around Bikky, and they seemed to be conferring briefly in low voices. After a minute or two, Bikky stepped away with a confident grin and a quick salute, and strode purposefully into the alley.

Aware that one of Bikky's friends might glance their way at any minute, Ryo tugged Dee into a doorway. His face was set and tight. Dee could see he was gritting his teeth.

"How long you wanna give him?" he asked.

Ryo shook his head. "I dunno. Not long."

"Smells like drugs to me," Dee remarked in a neutral tone, eyes on Ryo.

"That's what I think, too," Ryo sighed. "Let's go stop him."

end of chapter three


	4. Chapter 4

**A New Day**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter four is Mature. Coarse language, no sex.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter five is almost ready.

I will be posting chapters on my Livejournal page earlier than on this site. If you don't like waiting, go to http://brit-columbia.livejourna you to my beta, Blue Simplicity, for catching all those errors. You're a pro!

**A NEW DAY **

_Chapter four_

As they approached Bikky's friends, one of them looked over and saw them. Ryo was chagrined to see that it was Dave, one of Bikky's closest companions. The boy quickly muttered a warning to the other kids, who responded by scattering in all directions, most without even turning around to look.

"Hey there, detectives!" Dave said in a loud and cheerful voice. "Are you looking for Bikky? HEY, BIKKY! Get your ass back here!" He added, "I saw him around a few minutes ago. I don't think he went far."

"Something going on, Dave?"

Ryo's eyes and voice were flintier and much less friendly than usual, and the boy felt uncomfortable. The last time he had seen Ryo had been a couple of weekends ago during brunch at Bikky's place. Then, this man had been encouraging him to eat more BLTs and scrambled eggs, and had been fussing over the boys like a mother hen. Now there was an almost dangerous, hard quality to him that forced Dave to remember that Bikky's dad was a cop.

"No, sir. Bikky'll be back in a few. The guys were just leaving anyway."

"Yeah, after that heads-up from you," said Ryo, walking past him into the alley. "Get out of here, Dave. I'll talk to you later. I know where you live."

"Uh, yes sir," said Dave unhappily, and set off at a trot, looking anxiously over his shoulder for a glimpse of Bikky.

The two detectives didn't get more than a few paces into the alley, before Bikky reappeared, emerging from a recessed doorway. He was walking nonchalantly, and fiddling with his headphones. He stopped and looked from Ryo to Dee with surprise.

"Hey, Ryo, whazzup?"

"That's what I want to know, Bikky." Ryo's voice was quiet. "What's going on here?"

"The plate fell off my headphone!" Bikky said indignantly. "I figured I lost it around here, and there it was." He held up a bit of black plastic. "What are you and the pervert doing here, anyway? It seems like every time I'm with my friends, you guys show up. This is getting fuckin' embarrassing."

Ryo ignored the profanity. "Tell me something. If I went through that door you just came out of, would I be likely to run into someone you wouldn't want me to meet?"

Bikky managed to look confused and irritated at the same time. "What are you talking about, man? The place is full of rats, that's all."

A sarcastic remark leapt from Dee's brain into the natural habitat of his mouth, but he wouldn't let it past his lips. This was between Ryo and the brat.

"Let's find out, shall we?" said Ryo with a hard look at Bikky, and strode past him, but not so quickly that he didn't register the almost imperceptible widening of the boy's eyes.

Turning the door handle, Ryo was not at all surprised to find it was locked, even though Bikky had just come though it a few minutes ago.

"I guess it must have locked behind me," Bikky offered.

Ryo rapped sharply on the door. "Open up!" he commanded. "Now!"

His request was met by silence. He banged harder, and yelled louder. "NYPD! Open this door, now, or I'll kick it in!"

Again, there was silence. Ryo actually did kick the door hard, a couple of times, but it was a very sturdy door, and it became clear it wasn't going to budge.

Bikky rolled his eyes and said, "Can we go now?"

Ryo ground his teeth in frustration, and glared at his foster son, determined not to let his self-control slip any further. Suddenly Dee was there, his gun in his hand, pounding on the door with his other fist.

"You assholes got exactly five fucking seconds to open this door before I shoot the goddamned lock off! ONE!"

There was a sudden, slight scuffling from behind the door.

"TWO! THREE--"

"Hold up, man!" came a muffled voice from inside. "How do we know you're NYPD? You got a warrant or something?"

"Goddamn right I do! Now get this door open before I start blowing holes in it!"

There was one second of answering silence, which was broken by, "FOUR!"

"Whoa, man, all right, all right, just give me a sec here, OK? I'm opening the door, OK?"

The door rattled and shook from the inside, and there were other sounds too, of some kind of frenetic activity going on further back in the room.

"Get back, Bikky!" Ryo yelled over his shoulder.

"Hey, uh, officers...if I open this door, you're not gonna shoot me, are ya?"

"I'm gonna shoot you if you DON'T open that door!" Dee yelled. "You got one fucking second, you got that, asshole?"

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Fuck, man, I'm opening it right now, OK? Don't shoot!"

The door suddenly swung open inwards, and a frightened young man was backing away from them with his hands in the air, as the two detectives advanced into the room with guns drawn.

The place looked like it had once been a storage area. It was not only filthy, but strewn with litter and beer cans. It was dank and dark, and smelled of mold and worse things. There was a grimy bedroll in one corner, and a shiny new stereo and a couple of laptops in another one. No sign of electricity, though. A couple of candles flickered on cracked saucers.

Dee put his gun away. "What's your name, kid?"

The young guy hesitated. "Eddie," he said.

"Where's the other guy, 'Eddie'?"

"J -- just me, sir," Eddie said, with his hands still in the air, and his eyes flickering nervously between the light-haired officer, who was still holding his gun, and this other sharp-eyed one.

"You actually live here, Eddie?" asked Ryo, who was keeping an eye on an inner door.

"Well, sort of. Just staying here, temporary-like, till I -- I get a job, you know?" The flickering light from the candle nearest to him illuminated the dirt on his skin and what looked like track marks on his skinny arms.

Dee nudged Ryo. "Let's go, bro. There's nothing here, now. It's gone out the back."

"Just a minute," Ryo said, uncocking his gun and putting it back in his holster. "I've got a couple of questions I want to ask you first, Eddie."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"I just feel sorry for him, that's all. He used to be a different person. I check in on him sometimes."

"I'm not buying it, Bikky. You had another reason for being there, didn't you? Or else why lie about your headphones?"

"That wasn't a lie!"

"And saying the place was only full of rats?"

"And wasn't it? That's what they are, that's how they live!" Bikky said defensively. Shit, this was not going well.

"Well, Eddie didn't exactly 'rat' you out, now did he?" snapped Ryo.

"No, he didn't, because there was nothing to rat me out about!" Bikky hollered. He decided to go on the offensive, because clearly Ryo had nothing on him, and it was worth a try. "I'm getting sick of you following me around and accusing me of lying and acting like I'm some kind of criminal, and not trusting me to even scratch my ass by myself! Don't you guys have any REAL police work to do?"

"Bikky--" Ryo took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, but it had been a trying day, and all he wanted to do right now was smack some sense into his unrepentant foster son. "Why did you lie to me about the bus yesterday evening? You told me it would be in at nine, but when I called Mr. Granger, he told me its E.T.A. was seven. That kind of makes you look like a liar, now, doesn't it?"

"I did NOT totally lie! There WAS another bus coming in at 9pm."

"Yeah, for the older kids and the school's equipment, but I think you knew that, Bikky."

"Well, I just got confused about which bus I was supposed to be on, that's all. Hasn't that ever happened to you?"

"What was the plan for those extra two hours, huh? What kind of condition would you have been in when I came to get you at the agreed-upon time of 'nine'?" There was a dangerous edge to Ryo's voice that Bikky recognized; his guardian was starting to lose patience and one of those infamous Ryo-meltdowns was imminent, unless he could somehow deflect it. Dammit, he couldn't think of anything! Ryo seemed to have inside info that he couldn't possibly have known. But Bikky was reluctant to just confess the truth...just in case. He needed to know what Ryo knew.

"Whaddaya mean 'condition'?" he protested, and then took a step back, because Ryo had gone quite white around the mouth and resembled nothing more than a volcano that was about to blow.

"Okay, okay, it's not as bad as you think. Me and the guys were just gonna score a little dope, that's all..."

"NOT AS BAD AS I THINK?" roared Ryo. "Bikky, you're only 13 years old! Marijuana was still illegal in this country the last time I checked! How the hell do you think it would look if the son of a police officer got busted for buying drugs? How the hell do you expect to have any kind of a future if you start in on drugs when you're still in middle school, goddammit!"

"I wasn't gonna smoke any of it, honest! It was just for the guys. Carol would kill me if--"

"I don't give a goddamn what you were going to do with it! It's the buying and the possession parts that get you sent to juvenile hall! Do you even LIKE living here with me?"

Dee sat on the sofa, enjoying the show immensely, but trying not to let it show on his face. Ryo, raging, was quite a sexy sight indeed. Muscles tense, skin all flushed, pulse leaping wildly in his throat -- yes, he was going to need a little soothing and satisfying later. It was too bad about the decibel level of the angry yelling, though. Dee was just glad it wasn't directed at him. He wanted to enjoy the rugrat's discomfiture, but somehow he just couldn't. The kid's bravado had disappeared, and now he was looking so crestfallen and apologetic, promising over and over that he would never do it again. Hell, it was shades of himself at that age, getting busted by Mother. Except, Dee had to hand it to him: Bikky was a way better actor than he, Dee, had ever been.

Eventually, Ryo's rage ran its course and Bikky's mumbled apologies began to penetrate the red mist. Dee judged it safe to interject with a suggestion that perhaps they both have a cooling off period so that Bikky could think things over properly. Ryo seemed to agree, and to Bikky's relief, he was sent to his room.

"Dammit, Dee, sorry about that. I'm sure that was pretty stressful for you to have to listen to..." Ryo spread his hands apologetically. They were shaking a little.

"Shh, Ryo, no," said Dee, getting up and coming toward him. "It's not like it's the first time, or anything." He began to lightly rub his palms up and down Ryo's arms. "Besides, you couldn't just let it go, now, could you?"

"No, I certainly could not! God damn it, I always knew this day would come." Ryo looked anxiously at Dee. "Kids today -- there's so much danger waiting out there for them. And Bikky just seems to attract trouble!"

"Hey, come on now," Dee soothed, beginning a light massage of Ryo's tense shoulders. "He's basically a good kid. He wants to do good, you know that."

"I -- I know," said Ryo, dropping his head. "It's just, you know, his father...his early life. He's still got connections to people who could destroy his whole future for him."

"Me, too, Ryo," Dee reminded him. "Some of my childhood friends, who I'm still on friendly terms with, got into the drug trade. A couple of them are even in jail."

"Dee, I --" Ryo looked up at him with compassion in his face. "Well, I guess your point is that YOU turned out okay, right?"

"Gosh, and people call you an airhead?" Dee chuckled, and pulled Ryo into his arms. "Come on, sit down on the sofa with me for a few minutes okay? Let Dr. Dee take down that blood pressure a notch or two. The brat can stew in his room for awhile."

"Okay, but don't start anything. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Dr. Dee does not abuse the trust of his patients," said Dee sternly. "I just want to give you a harmless little starter massage, that's all. I won't do anything even remotely sexy. For now," he added, as he guided Ryo over to the sofa.

Dark eyes looked at him suspiciously, but Ryo, it appeared, was not averse to some cuddling. Over the years Dee had noticed that Ryo always felt a bit off balance whenever he had had a confrontation with Bikky, and would be more open to physical contact at those times.

"What the hell is a 'starter' massage?" Ryo murmured.

end of chapter four  



	5. Chapter 5

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter five is Mature. Coarse language, no sex yet

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter six is on its way. It's already up at my LiveJournal page, however.

I will be continuing to post chapters there earlier than on this site. If you don't like waiting, go find me there. I can't post the address here because it's not allowed, but if you email me, I'll be happy to give it to you. You can also find this story on AFF, and they allow links.

I just want to thank all the people who have been kind enough to review. You guys really keep me going!

Blue Simplicity, my wonderful beta, thanks for your continued hard work on my behalf. Paws off, people! She's mine, mine, mine.

**A New Day **

Chapter five

Dee glanced at his watch as he pulled into the 27th precinct parking lot. Seven minutes late and counting. Oh well, this always seemed to happen when he had spent the night at his own place. Ryo sure was good about getting people out of bed and moving in the morning. Ryo. Just the thought of him made Dee's entire being flood with happiness. _He loves me! And not just a little -- more than anything! _his heart crowed triumphantly. After parking, he quickly checked his appearance in the rear-view mirror before he got out of the car. There was a foolish grin on his face. He tried to adopt a more serious expression better suited to a man who was late for work and likely to get yelled at by the chief if spotted. "You lucky S.O.B.!" he said to his sober new reflection, and the grin came creeping back.

Last night hadn't ended quite the way he had hoped. After the showdown with Bikky, the time-out, and the subsequent calmer lecture that had resulted in Bikky being grounded for three weeks, Dee had been hoping he could get Ryo into bed and take his lover's mind off the stress of being the foster parent of a teen from the 'hood. But Ryo had thought otherwise.

"I feel weird about having sex on the other side of his bedroom wall, anyway, and especially after that scene tonight," he had informed Dee. "Also, the chief is going to call us into his office first thing tomorrow to ask us if we've looked over the file for the case he gave us earlier. I'd like to at least have something to tell him when that happens. I'm going to have to get up early to do it, since I'm too wiped to think right now."

Ryo had indeed looked exhausted. A big fight with Bikky always left him drained and repentant. Ryo hated to lose his temper; he considered it a personal failing if he did. This was a mystery to Dee, who lost his temper sometimes several times a day, and usually felt better afterward.

Dee hadn't wanted to go home, but he had the feeling that Ryo wanted him to so that he could repair things a little with Bikky without another person being there. Therefore, he had put on his coat and kissed Ryo goodbye. Man that was hard to do, when with every fiber of his being he wanted to stay, sleep there, and wake up with his lover in his arms. However, it was almost worth it for the gratitude he saw in Ryo's eyes.

Now, he slung his jacket over his shoulder and headed for the stairs, whistling as he went. He was looking forward, as he had for so many mornings, to that first sight of his partner's gorgeous face looking up from his desk when he opened the door to their shared office.

&&&&

"What? You made him scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes on a school morning? I'm totally jealous. I was clearly an idiot to go home."

"No, you were very sweet to go home," Ryo corrected him with a soft smile. "Besides, I felt bad about all the yelling last night, and I wanted him to know I still love him."

"How come I never get special breakfasts or anything after you get mad at ME?" Dee grumbled. "That brat gets all the breaks."

"You get special treatment all the time! Now quit your complaining and have a look at the details of our latest case." Ryo slapped a file onto his partner's desk. "We've got a meeting with the chief in five."

"Hmm...Not much to go on, is there?" said Dee, opening the file folder and surveying its scant contents.

"No, and that's why we have to come up with some sort of information-gathering strategy, preferably in the next five minutes."

"Got any ideas?"

"One or two," Ryo replied.

Dee gave him his full attention. Ryo's ideas were always worth listening to, and besides, he just looked so damned sexy first thing in the morning, in his crisply ironed shirt and perfectly creased dress pants. Dee fought down the urge to rumple him up a little and tried not to let his eyes roam too obviously over his partner's beautifully structured body. He tried to focus on Ryo from the neck up instead, but that turned out to be equally distracting because memories of that face, flushed and heavy-lidded with passion kept rising unbidden in his mind, sweeping all thoughts of work out of it.

Finally, he said to Ryo, "Keep talking, dude. I'm listening. I just need to close my eyes for concentration purposes."

After another minute, Ryo's voice trailed away.

Dee opened his eyes and was surprised and delighted to see that Ryo's face was indeed as flushed as it had been during their most recent encounter, and his expression was an interesting mix of embarrassment and annoyance, with excitement lurking just underneath.

Dee laughed out loud and stood up. "Ha, you dog!" He exclaimed. "You were thinking about it, too, weren't you?" Ryo took a step back from him and fell into his chair, wide-eyed. Sometimes he could almost swear that Dee was psychic.

Leaning on the arms of Ryo's chair, Dee brought his face forward until his eyes were very close to Ryo's. "Weren't you?" he demanded softly.

Ryo hesitated, sliding his eyes away from that direct green gaze. He endured a brief inner struggle, then blurted out, "Well how could I not when you were practically making love to that pencil?"

"Huh? What pencil?"

"The one you just stuck behind your left ear that might be about to put my eye out. The one that was in your mouth the whole time I was talking." Ryo dragged his eyes away from Dee's mouth, but against his will, they kept wandering back there.

"This?" Dee held up the pencil, grinning, then tossed it onto his desk. "Nothing but a poor substitute for what I'd really like to have in my mouth. Look at me," he added softly.

Ryo did, and his mute face was so full of love and desire that Dee's breath caught, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Just then, Ryo's phone rang shrilly and they both jumped. He reached for it, saying, "That's probably the Chief. Detective McLean, here...Yes, sir, he's here, too...Half an hour? No problem, see you then."

"Please say that was the badger postponing our meeting," Dee said.

"That's right, thirty minutes from now. That'll give us some time to--"

"Get some coffee! Oh, thank God. Those early morning pre-coffee sessions with the badger can really take it out of a guy. I'll be right back. You want some? Where's your cup?"

"Uh, the 'janitor' has yet to replace it."

"Oh right. Sorry about that, I'll get on it ASAP."

"No rush. It's only been -- what? --three and a half weeks?"

"Today! I promise I'll get you one today, okay? Back in five," Dee grinned and headed out the door.

On his way to the first floor staff room, currently the only source of coffee in the whole damn building, Dee ran into Ted on the second floor landing.

"Yo, what's with the shit-eating grin, dude? You get lucky last night or something?"

"Hey, she's the one that got lucky!" Dee tossed out as he swept by. Hell! He had to get his face back under control. Ryo had specifically insisted on their relationship remaining secret at work. Well, the lie in that one little word 'she' would go a long way toward that.

Just as he was about to turn into the staff room, he glanced over at the front desk and almost did a double take as he recognized two familiar figures. If the happy smile had somehow managed to creep back onto his face after seeing Ted, it was definitely gone now. He scowled as he caught a fragment of what one of the men was saying.

"I'm telling you," that grating voice insisted. "My buddy and I were beaten up by one of the two fags that were in this car." He stabbed his finger at a piece of paper on the desk. "You can find out who he is, right? We wanna press charges against that bastard."

"I KNOW you want to press charges," said Janet impatiently. "You only said that, like, five times. But you're not listening to me. You -- must --fill -- out -- these -- forms. Do you understand yet? Would it help if I said that in another language, perhaps?"

"Well, why don't we just tell you the information, sweetheart, and then you fill them out for us like a good little girl?"

"What exactly is so hard about filling out a couple of forms?" demanded Janet. "Say, if you're illiterate or something, and too embarrassed to admit it, we have volunteers who can--"

"Look, we didn't come here to get insulted! We've been assaulted, dammit."

"And we want to press charges!"

"We're taxpayers, and we have rights."

Dee had heard enough. He strode over, saying, "What seems to be the problem here?"

The two men turned to face him, and the expressions on their faces were almost comical as recognition hit them.

"Ho -- holy shit! Larry, it's him!" one of them spluttered through thick lips. He had a large bruise on one side of his jaw.

"No shit, I got eyes," said Larry. His eyes, already narrow and shifty, narrowed still further as he stared at Dee, taking in the police badge on his belt. "Hey Frank," he said. "We didn't just get beat up by a pansy, we got ASSAULTED by a fuckin' pansy POLICE officer!"

"You call that getting 'assaulted'?" Dee sneered. "Stick around, losers, and I'll give you something to really complain about!"

The one called Frank gasped and took an involuntary step backwards.

"Uh, I'll just leave you two gentlemen with Detective Laytner, here," said Janet brightly, beating a strategic retreat. Dee noticed that she didn't retreat too far. She stopped just within listening distance, and began to busy herself with some papers.

This fact was not lost on Larry, who was eyeing Dee with a speculative smirk.

"I bet you're not happy to see _us_, are you, 'Detective Laytner'?" he said in the oiliest and most self-satisfied of voices.

"Hell, no," Dee answered honestly. "I think I've wasted enough time on you two shitheads already."

"Well, get ready to waste some more," Larry said. "'Cause we're here to press charges against your sorry ass for an unprovoked assault night before last."

"And we got witnesses!" chimed in Frank.

"Yeah. And now, not only are you gonna lose your job, but all your co-workers are gonna find out you're a goddamn faggot!" Larry gloated.

Dee snorted in contempt. "Way ahead of you there, asshole. Been out of the closet for years and I don't give a damn who knows it. As for losing my job -- " he laughed. "I should have busted you guys back on Tuesday night. Now here you are, making trouble again. This is what I get for being nice."

Frank gaped at him, open-mouthed. Why wasn't this annoyingly confident gay cop getting all nervous, like he should be? It was dawning on him that maybe coming here like this had not been the best idea they had ever had. He glanced over at Larry, who was glaring at him.

"Okay, man, time out. Just gotta talk to my buddy for a sec here." Larry grabbed Frank and pulled him a few paces away.

"Don't you start wimping out me, you bastard," he whispered. "This prick of a cop is bluffing! Who hit who first, huh?"

"Mmmm, I don't know, man," whined Frank, glancing around him uncomfortably. "You know what they say: you can't fight City Hall. Or the cops. It's his word against ours, you know?"

Larry decided to bring out the big guns. "Frank, my friend...I hate to be the guy to say this to you, but -- but I do believe this faggot was checkin' you out," he hissed.

"Oh shit, man, are you sure?"

"Yeah man, he was looking at your ass when you turned around just now! And you know he's a cop, dude. If he wants it, he can just take it, and there ain't jack you can do about it. Only thing you can do is take him down first..."

"You should be so lucky, you goddamned Neanderthal!" Dee snapped. "Between the two of you, you're about fourteen different kinds of ugly. Now are you gonna get the fuck out of here and quit wasting our time, or am I gonna have to throw you in a holding cell or something?"

"H-holding cell?" Frank squeaked. "Shit, what for?"

"No way, man!" Larry asserted. "You were the one who assaulted US! We never even laid a finger on you. That's police brutality!"

"Fine," said Dee. "You wanna make a statement?" He turned to Janet. "Get Detective JJ Adams down here. Tell him I need a favour."

End of chapter five


	6. Chapter 6

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter six is Mature. Coarse language, still no sex. There's already a whole whack of it in chapter 7, but I'll have to edit the hell out of it before I post it here. Don't wanna get banned or nuthin'!

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

I will be posting chapters on my Livejournal page earlier than on this site. If you don't like waiting, go there. Chapter 7, which is a lemon, is already there, waiting for those who can find it. Apparently I can't post links from this page or I would give you the address! Email me if you want it. My email address is in my profile.

I'm afraid I won't be able to update this story again until December because I'm about to go to Japan for a couple of weeks. I'll try to check my email as often as possible while I'm there. I mean, surely they must have internet cafes! (Ya think?)

Thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to leave me reviews. I'm just so happy that there are a few people out there who are enjoying my efforts! It makes me want to keep going.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Blue Simplicity for her services as my beta. And don't anyone else dare approach her! She's really busy and I already have to share her with several other people as it is.

**A New Day **

Chapter six

"Aw come on, JJ, give it a rest," Drake groaned. "Trying to eat a sandwich here, you know, de-stress a little over lunch break..."

"But Drake!" JJ fumed. "You can't imagine the morning I've had. First, I sit in some gum on the subway and ruin my favourite pants, which, incidentally, I'm stuck wearing now until the end of the day, and THEN I find out that someone -- most likely Janet -- saw fit to make 'Irish Cream' flavoured coffee, like that was a good idea or something! It was so disgusting. " JJ shuddered dramatically. "I just hate those cheap flavoured coffees, but there was nothing else to be had, so I had to choke it down. And on top of all that, Dee-Sempai asked me to deal with those perfectly horrible men I've just been telling you about! You just can't imagine --"

"Oh, yes I can, because you've only been going on about it for the last ten minutes straight," Drake interrupted him. "Can we please talk about something happy now?"

"Well, I haven't even got to the worst part yet! I need to talk to Dee, but I haven't been able to find him anywhere, and that Ryo is totally useless."

"Speak of the devil," sighed Drake as Dee strolled in.

"Dee-Sempai! Who on earth were those two idiots you wanted me to talk to?"

Dee shrugged. "Just a couple of losers I had a run in with a couple of nights ago. Did you get rid of them?" He opened the fridge and surveyed its contents.

"You're damn right I did, but not before giving them a piece of my mind! But Dee -- I have to ask you something."

"Fire away," said Dee.

"Is it true that you were kissing a man in a parking lot?"

"Sounds like something I would do," smirked Dee taking a long drink from a carton of chocolate milk.

"Was it Ryo?" JJ demanded.

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," said Dee. "Well, I gotta get back to work." He paused at the door and gave JJ a sexy grin. "Thanks a lot, dude. I knew I could count on you to shut those bastards down."

The rare sight of a smile from Dee actually being directed at him had the effect of temporarily burning all suspicion and jealousy out of JJ's mind. His heart swelled with pure rapture.

"ANY TIME, DEE-SEMPAI!" he cried out, happily. "You know I'm always there for you, anytime, anywhere, anyhow!"

"Later, dude." Dee was out the door before the younger man could gather himself for a pounce. Undeterred, JJ ran after him, thereby managing to collide with Ted, who was just walking in at that moment. Getting smacked into the door frame was the only thing that saved Ted from going down with JJ in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Aw, Ted, why'd you have to come in right at that particular second?" JJ complained, giving Ted an annoyed look.

"What ever happened to, 'Sorry Ted, I didn't mean to almost break your back'?" Ted yelled after the rapidly disappearing JJ.

He stomped into the break room and went over to Drake's table. "Did you see that?" Ted demanded indignantly. "Why do I always seem to be the one who pays the price for JJ's doomed love for Dee? It's not fair, man. Can't you talk to him or something?"

"I talk to him all the time, but he's deaf on the subject of Dee." Drake sighed. "Besides, you should be glad he's not still here going on about those two homophobic dorks he just had an encounter with."

"Oh? What happened?"

"From what I could gather, a couple of no-goods came in to complain that they'd been punched out by Dee."

"Who HASN'T been punched out by Dee?"

"Well, yeah, good point. Anyway, they were downstairs threatening to make a complaint against him, and JJ rode to the rescue."

Ted grinned. "Ooh, I can just imagine how that went down."

"He apparently freaked out all over them and lectured them on gay rights. Then he threatened to arrest them for hate crimes, sexual harassment, creating a disturbance, and wasting taxpayer's money with ill-founded complaints. He made that last one up, of course, but I think they bought it. I'm sure they were only too glad to get out of here in one piece, and without any citations."

"That JJ," sighed Ted, opening the fridge. "He may be hyper, but at least he's not dull."

"And he's loyal," Drake added.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ted. "Who's been drinking my chocolate milk?"

&&&&&&

"Yeah, I seen him. He was here a couple days back. Seemed new."

"Do you know where he went, or who he might be hanging with now?" Dee asked, passing the photo back to Ryo.

"Nah," the boy answered. "I don't even know where I'm gonna be later today, or who I'm gonna be with."

"Well, if you see him, give me a call, okay?" Dee handed him a card.

"Sure, man. Thanks for the sandwich."

"No problem. Stay safe, Denny."

Ryo and Dee headed back to their car.

"Maybe we could ask some of the beat cops in juvie to help with this," Ryo said.

"Maybe YOU could ask them. They don't like me, remember?"

"Well, no wonder, the way you went off on them over their bust of the Baker brothers."

"Oh come on. Someone had to say something. It was totally mishandled from the beginning. That kid will be brain-damaged for life!"

"Agreed. But 'someone' didn't just 'say' something, he 'yelled' a whole lot of things and made a bad situation worse. I still think you should apologize."

"Maybe you're right, but I don't think I can. It just gets me so mad every time I think about it!"

"I'm sure they felt bad enough, without you rubbing their noses in it."

"Well, I'll think about it, okay? Maybe later you should go talk to them, and I'll wait out in the street."

They were almost at the car, when Dee suddenly said, "Whoa, hang on a sec. I wanna go in there." He indicated a rather chic kitchen shop.

"Dee! We're on the clock here."

"Don't get your shorts in a twist, dude. This won't even take five minutes." Dee disappeared into the shop.

Ryo stood outside, fighting the urge to go after him. He quite liked looking at kitchen gadgets, but he felt guilty about wanting to go in. In addition, he was curious as to what Dee could possibly want to buy in such a place. Although he could cook when pressed to, Dee had never evinced much enthusiasm for it.

After a minute, Dee stuck his head out the door and asked, "Don't you even want to choose the color?"

"What?"

"Your new mug, dork. I wouldn't leave this to me, if I were you."

"I'm sure I'll like whatever you choose," said Ryo, but his feet carried him into the store anyway.

"I'm thinking this one," Dee suggested, holding up a mug with an image of a beautiful bikini-clad woman on it.

Ryo eyed him narrowly. "Yeah, so you can look at that on my desk all day?"

Dee feigned a hurt look. "That was not my first consideration," he protested. "I just thought it would help throw people off our trail, that's all."

"Hmph. Let's look at some others," Ryo said.

A moment later, they heard a familiar voice speaking furtively on the other side of the aisle.

"Got it? Count to fifteen, and then break this platter. Can you do that?"

"Um, I think so," a younger and much less confident voice said. "I never deliberately broke anything before, except that time I threw the sugar bowl at my father, and I wasn't so much trying to break it as I was trying to hit him and--"

"Look, tell me later, okay? We got work to do right now."

Dee and Ryo looked at each other, and the memory of where they had heard that voice before hit both of them at the same time.

"You ready to do this?" the voice spoke again.

"Yeah, Karl. I guess."

"Okay, start counting...starting...now."

Ryo signaled to Dee that he was going to head down the aisle toward the back of the store. Dee nodded and went toward the front. Shortly after that, they heard a loud crash and a cry of dismay. As several staff members moved off in that direction, Dee observed a young man, the same one from yesterday, grabbing a large box of what looked like pots and pans, and then walking quickly to the door.

"Hold it right there, _Eddie_!" Dee yelled, and started after him.

Eddie gave him one horrified look, and then to Dee's utter amazement, tried to make a run for it -- without letting go of the box.

Dee had him by the collar before he'd even gotten ten paces out of the store. "You idiot!" he yelled at the kid. "What kind of amateur shit is this?" He cuffed Eddie's hands together behind his back. "Now I gotta take you in, and all for a lousy set of pots and pans?" He made a sound of disgust, and pulled out his radio.

"They're All-Clad Stainless, man!" Eddie whined. "$400 bucks. I got a customer willing to pay a hundred."

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion from inside the store. Seconds later, the door burst open and a teenage boy hurtled out of it and took off down the street at a speed that was almost inhuman. About a minute after that, Ryo rushed out of the door and shouted, "Dee! Which way did he go?"

"That way. You're never gonna catch him now."

"Gotta try." Ryo sprinted away in the direction Dee had indicated.

Dee looked down. "Damn you, Eddie, or 'Karl', or whatever the hell your name is. You just stay right here till I get back. You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you, sir. I won't move an inch."

Dee ran after Ryo. He knew just as well as Ryo did why they had to catch that kid. He had gotten a split-second glimpse of the teen's terrified white face when he had come out the door. That was the Abernathy boy they were looking for, the kid in the picture. What dumb luck! Except now you couldn't see him for smoke.

Behind him, Eddie struggled to his feet and started to hurry away in the opposite direction, hands still cuffed behind his back, kicking the box of All-Clad Stainless pans along in front of him.

Dee caught up to Ryo a block and a half later. His partner had conceded defeat, slowing, and finally staggering to a stop. Ryo was gasping for breath, hands braced on his thighs, when Dee jogged up to him.

"Y'okay, buddy?"

"Y--yeah," wheezed Ryo. "I...never saw him. You... were... right."

"Oh, and the Dee-machine does love those three little words," said Dee, grinning at his partner. "Not that he gets to hear them very often. Come on, you." Dee yanked Ryo over to the nearest wall and propped him up against it. "Now breathe," he instructed his partner, who had stopped talking and seemed to be reserving all his energy for glowering resentfully at him.

"In through your nose, hold, release through your mouth," Dee instructed.

"Dammit, Dee, I'm fine. Just knock it off."

"Knock what off?" Dee looked innocent. "Caring about you?"

"You're just loving this, aren't you?"

"Maybe you need to take up smoking or something, dude." Dee winked at him and turned away. "C'mon, let's go talk to Eddie." He jogged off back in the direction they had come.

Ryo trailed behind his partner, truth to tell, quite shocked at how easily he had been winded. Clearly Dee, although a smoker, appeared to have been born with a superior set of lungs. It was so unfair that Ryo, who had never smoked a cigarette in his life, should be out of breath after only a block and a half, whereas Dee had hardly even broken a sweat. He tried to remind himself that he had been sprinting and Dee hadn't. There had always been this imbalance between them, but Ryo was sure he was getting worse. He realized he hadn't been getting enough exercise in the last few weeks, unless one counted all the sex that was a new addition to his life. He resolved to do at least half an hour of hard running on the treadmill next time he was in the gym.

Dee arrived back at the kitchen shop well before Ryo. There, he found Eddie exactly where he'd left him, only with a rather plump woman sitting on top of him with her arms folded. Two more female employees from the store hovered nearby.

"He tried to escape!" Eddie's captor informed Dee. "But I wasn't having that!" She looked quite pleased with herself and seemed to be in no hurry to get off Eddie.

"Did you catch the other one?" asked a narrow-faced, bespectacled woman hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no," Dee replied. "He got away."

"That's too bad," she said, her mouth hard and disapproving. "That was a Limoges platter that he broke. Such wanton destructiveness."

"Hey, officer," Eddie groaned, looking up hopefully at Dee. "I'm ready to go to the station, now..."

"Ooh, Bridget, here comes the one that caught you when you fainted."

The third woman, an attractive brunette who was considerably younger than the other two, looked where her co-worker was pointing.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed to Ryo, who was walking toward them. "You probably would have been able to grab him if I hadn't slowed you down like that."

Ryo summoned up a gallant smile, even though he was feeling hot and irritable and knew that his shirt was sticking to his back with sweat. "Perhaps, perhaps not," he said.

"Perhaps I could get you a glass of water," Bridget offered, laying a perfectly manicured hand on Ryo's arm.

"No thank you," Ryo said courteously. "I'm fine, actually." He turned away and said, "Let's take him in, Dee."

"Oh thank God," muttered Eddie.

"Ma'am," said Ryo, offering the plump woman his hand. She simpered up at him and allowed him to pull her heavily to her feet. Beneath her, Eddie yelped as she lost her balance momentarily and trod on something sensitive.

"Oh just hush up, you thieving young hoodlum!" she admonished him, and turned a beaming face back to Ryo and Dee.

"Thanks for your help, ma'am," said Dee with a grin.

Eddie was grumbling something about how a man didn't exactly need TWO testicles for fatherhood purposes, as Dee led him to the car.

Bridget ran a few steps after them. "Detective!" she called. "Wait!"

Ryo stopped and turned with a questioning look on his face.

"Would it be all right if we took your cards? You two gentleman have been so helpful today, and we don't even know your names."

"Oh. Certainly." Ryo handed her a card. "I'm Detective McLean, and that's my partner, Detective Laytner."

"Thank you so much, Detective McLean," said Bridget, smiling up at him with her head tilted slightly to one side. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

Ryo said goodbye and gave her another of his polite, professional smiles.

Dee was already smirking when Ryo got into the car.

"Don't even start, Dee," said Ryo with a warning look. At least Dee was sitting in the passenger seat, like they had agreed.

"Was I saying anything?" asked Dee. "No sir, not me." But then he looked out of his own window, away from Ryo.

End of chapter six


	7. Chapter 7

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter seven is "M " or "T" or something else fairly innocent, because even though it's supposed to be a lemon, I edited out most of the bits that would get me banned. There's the usual bad language. If you want to read the full-sex version, either go to AFF, or go looking for it on my LJ site. If you end up on the LJ site, I should warn you that I had to split it into two posts because it exceeded the limit of words allowed per post. Or, just email me and I'll send you the chapter.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter eight is done and I will be posting it on my Livejournal page either later tonight if my family miraculously refrains from bugging me and wanting things, or tomorrow night. I'm afraid I can't tell you my LJ address because this site does not permit direct links. If you want it, just email me.

Thank you Blue Simplicity for all the ways you help me. And thank for letting me steal your line! You know the one.

Happy New Year to all the people out there who are kind enough to read my work.

**A New Day**

Chapter seven

"Well, _that_ was illuminating," said Dee sarcastically, as he and Ryo exited questioning room two.

"It was exactly what I expected," grumbled Ryo. "Urghh, if I'd just caught that kid..."

"Come on, dude, give yourself a break. An Olympic sprinter couldn't have caught that kid. I watched him go. I know I couldn't."

"Thanks Dee." Ryo flashed him a small grateful look. "But I still feel responsible. I have got to start running again."

"I dunno. That was how you met Meredith. Remember her?"

"Yes. She was very sweet. But apparently, sweet doesn't work on me. I tend to go for annoying." Ryo gave Dee an arch look from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, you just keep going for annoying," Dee shot back. "'Cause no one does annoying quite like me!"

"No one in this entire building would argue with you there," said Ryo.

JJ suddenly fell into step beside them. "Argue with what?" he asked innocently.

Ryo almost rolled his eyes, a bad habit that he was trying not to pick up from Bikky. At the last second he was able to drag them back and look straight ahead.

"Nothing," he sighed. "Just a career shoplifter with a brain that's fried on crack whose principles are too high to allow him to reveal any real information about a runaway he was sheltering."

"Oh! Well, good luck with that, you guys. Hey, Dee-Sempai! Drake wanted me to ask you if the blood type on the Lydgate murder was B positive, because we--"

"How the fuck should I know? Ask Ryo. He's the one who actually reads the files."

"But I'm--"

"Later, JJ. I need a smoke. Ryo, I'll call you tonight, okay?"

JJ hurried after Dee, exclaiming happily, "Oh, I'll keep you company up on the roof, Dee-sempai. And I can fill you in on some stuff that's been happening around here today..."

This time, Ryo really did roll his eyes as he turned off into the office he shared with Dee.

Dee's voice could be heard all the way from the end of the hall, shouting indignantly, "Dammit JJ, get off me! You're crushing my goddamn cigarettes!"

&&&&&&&

The insistent ringing of the phone dragged Ryo from slumber. He rolled over groggily and knocked it off its cradle and onto the floor.

"Shit," he muttered, reaching for it and scooping it off his slippers. "Hello?"

"Dude, it's me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just sleeping, that's all," sighed Ryo.

"Sorry about waking you up, and all," said Dee, "but isn't it almost dinnertime?"

Ryo peered at the clock. "Six-fifteen. I guess it is. I wonder why Bikky didn't wake me up?"

As if in answer to this question, there was a knock on the door. "Ryo? You awake?"

"There he is," Ryo informed Dee. "Yes, Bikky! Come on in if you want."

"What's for dinner?" Dee asked.

"I have no idea," said Ryo, rolling onto his back and covering his eyes with his free arm.

"What's for dinner?" Bikky asked. "I'm hungry."

Ryo groaned. He was getting dinner demands in stereo.

"Are you tired, baby?" Dee's voice spoke softly into Ryo's ear.

"Yeah," Ryo sighed. "Beyond tired."

"How about I show up in 15 minutes with Chinese?"

"Huh? How can you get it and then get here in only 15 minutes?"

"Because I'm paying the man now, and I'm only 15 minutes away from you," Dee chuckled.

"If that's that idiot Dee, tell him not to come over! It's bad enough that I'm grounded, without I gotta be stuck in this apartment with him all evening!"

"He's bringing Chinese," Ryo informed him.

"Oh. Well, tell him to get extra dumplings then."

"Dee, did you --?"

"Yeah I heard that. Tell the brat not to worry. It's all taken care of. I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Dee. Bye."

&&&&&&&

"Bikky, don't wipe your hands on your pants. Use a napkin," Ryo said, passing him one.

The boy used it to give his hands a cursory wipe, and then stood up, still chewing.

"Where are you going?" Ryo asked in surprise.

"My room. I'm sure the perv's gonna be jumping you any minute now, and I'd just as soon not be here when that crap starts. I've got homework, anyway."

He turned away, but Ryo stopped him. "Bikky, Dee brought us dinner," he said meaningfully.

"Yeah, but that was just a ploy to --"

"Bikky!"

"Oh all right. Thanks for dinner, perv."

"You're welcome, dork."

Once Bikky was gone, Dee and Ryo unconsciously relaxed, each for his own reasons. Dee got up off the floor where he'd been sitting at the coffee table, and settled himself at the other end of the sofa from Ryo. Just for a moment, Ryo seemed to look uncomfortable, so Dee opted to keep his distance for the time being. Leaning back comfortably against the arm of the sofa, trying to keep his knees up and his feet more or less off Ryo, he talked about Eddie, who had turned out to have a string of warrants out for his arrest, mostly for misdemeanors and failures to appear.

Eddie hadn't surrendered much about Thomas Abernathy, even after Dee and Ryo had both intimated that things would go easier on him on the shoplifting charge if he gave them something about the kid they were looking for. His refusal to cooperate appeared to stem from a genuine desire to protect Thomas' privacy. The only real information they had gotten out of him was that he'd seen bruises on the backs of Thomas' legs.

"Someone at home must be whaling on him," Eddie had added, and then refused to say more, even when Dee had tempted him with the offer of a cigarette. Dee had looked at him a little differently after that. Unfortunately, Thomas Abernathy was just as gone today as he had been yesterday, and they still had to face the Chief tomorrow about their failure to catch his friend's son today.

A slower eater than either Dee or Bikky, Ryo used his chopsticks to poke at a few bits of food still left on his plate, glancing up at Dee every so often. He noticed that Dee was watching him through heavy strands of his glossy black hair. Usually by evening, and on stressful or hot days, a lot earlier, Dee's hair gel or mousse had given up the fight and surrendered to the inherent unruliness of the hair it had been asked to control. Ryo smiled to himself a little, as he considered that Dee's hair was just a reflection of his personality: generous, unwilling to accept authority, a little bit wild but somehow always with a style of its own, and sexy as hell. _Did I just think that?_ Ryo had surprised himself. _But, it's true. Dee IS sexy, _he thought. _And unfortunately he knows it! _ He willed his cheeks not to get warm, but they must have, because his partner suddenly nudged him with one foot.

"Hey. What are you looking at? And more importantly, what are you thinking about?"

"I was just thinking that these leftovers ought to go in the fridge," remarked Ryo, hastily standing up and starting to gather up containers.

"Heh, sure you were. Hey, can you bring me something to drink when you come back in here?"

"Certainly, hot or cold?"

"Whatever you're having is fine."

Ryo came back a few minutes later with a damp cloth and wiped down the coffee table. Dee tried to convince him that he'd missed a spot in a half-hearted effort to lure him close, but Ryo just gave him a knowing look and returned to the kitchen.

Dee waited patiently. He very much wanted to get his hands and mouth on Ryo's body, to arouse him, and make him beg for it again, like he had a few days ago. He could sense that his lover wanted exactly the same thing, but was feeling self-conscious about doing anything with Bikky in the apartment. This situation would need careful managing, and Dee knew he would need all his powers of observation and seduction. He reasoned that eventually they would have to make love when Bikky was at home. With the amount of time that kid spent grounded, sex was likely to be a very rare activity if it could only take place when he was out. He was pretty sure Bikky's desire not to hear any noises of a sexual nature coming out of his guardian's bedroom were just as strong as Ryo's desire not to be heard. He would lay odds that the kid was in his room with headphones clamped to his ears already, in anticipation of what he had pretty much said he expected them to be doing.

"Hey, dude, what's taking so long?" Dee called out.

"Tea's almost ready," Ryo called back. "Where do you think we should look for that Abernathy kid tomorrow?"

"I thought we could check out Central Park. It's possible he could be sleeping outside down there."

"You think so? It's still pretty cold at night, and I don't think this boy has ever had to sleep rough before. Unless you count sleeping at Eddie's 'pad'."

"Well, we could try the shelters again. But I personally think he's not gonna go to one of them unless he's ready to be found. What time is our appointment with his parents again?"

"Four p.m., mom only. Dad's at work, on second shift, like us. We'll pop over and talk to him after we see her."

"Oooh, that's right, we don't have to get up early tomorrow." Dee raised his eyebrows suggestively at Ryo, who was setting two mugs of tea down on the coffee table.

"Uhm...yeah, that's true," agreed Ryo.

"We can stay up a little later if we want," said Dee. "Or we could go to bed early and I could finally show you what comes after a starter massage..."

"Are you going to drink your tea, or what?"

"Well, not right this minute. It's kinda hot, you know? And I might burn this talented tongue of mine, which would be disastrous for both of us!"

Ryo couldn't help smiling at Dee's cocky confidence. "But the point is, would it be a little quieter around here?" he asked. "Just drink it carefully."

"Hey, who's supposed to be the smartass here, me or you?"

"Bikky, probably," smiled Ryo.

"Do you think maybe I should 'blow' on it? Like this?" Dee asked. His words were innocent, but his voice was seductive.

"You do whatever you have to do." But Ryo couldn't resist looking.

"I usually do, buddy." He grinned. He knew he could make Ryo look at his mouth again if he blew on his tea some more. Overt flirting and remarks heavy with sexual innuendo had never worked this well on his partner before. Prior to the consummation of their relationship, Ryo had exhibited extraordinary willpower, which had been bolstered by fear and denial. Now, however, this new sexually-awakened Ryo seemed not to have anywhere near as much power to resist. Dee imagined himself as a fisherman who had hooked his fish and was now slowly reeling it in.

He took a tentative sip of his tea, and grimaced. "Don't tell me this is chamomile!"

"Well, I thought we'd both had enough coffee for one day, and chamomile would help us sleep."

"Sleep! Don't you go falling asleep on me this time, Ryo."

"What do you mean 'this time'? You act like I'm always falling asleep or something, when YOU'RE actually the one..."

In his bedroom, Bikky cautiously lifted one headphone from his ear and took a listen. All he was able to hear was the sound of them bickering in the living room. He sighed in relief. Business as usual. They weren't on the train to icksville. Well, not yet, anyway. Better put the headphones back on though, just in case.

Back in the living room, Dee was staring at his mug. "Oh shit!" He exclaimed.

"Dee, I don't see why you're making such a fuss about chamomile," snapped Ryo irritably. "Your exact words, as I recall, were, 'Whatever you're having is fine'."

"No, it's not that. It's the mug. I promised I'd replace your mug today, but then we got sidetracked by Eddie and the runaway kid...Damn! Sorry about that."

"It's not a big deal, really."

"Hey, I know, let's go back to that same store before our shift starts tomorrow. Bridget will be convinced that it's just an excuse for you to see her again, and she'll try and eat you for lunch."

"Dee!"

"Well, you gotta admit she's a hot chick. And she clearly thinks you got it going on."

Dee's tone was light and teasing, but Ryo had known him long enough, and had seen him question enough suspects to recognize when he was trying to ferret out information.

"Yes," he agreed. "She certainly was pretty. But she's a little late, don't you think?" He smiled at Dee, who somehow managed to exude relief without moving a muscle. "Besides," he added. "The main reason we're not going back to that store is the ridiculous price of their mugs. $24.99!" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Hey, nothing but the best for my baby."

"Your baby would be perfectly happy with a ten-dollar mug, or even five. It's time you learned how to save money. Mother's right, you know, it's way overdue."

Dee was pleased with the way this conversation was going. First Ryo had as much as said he wasn't interested in attractive women. Then he had made a bid to get Dee to change his saving habits, which meant he hopefully had a long-term interest. The fact that he had brought it up or backed Mother up on it several times in the past meant nothing. Everything Ryo said or did had special significance now. Now if only he could get over this nagging little feeling that it was all going to go sideways on him, that somehow his newfound happiness with Ryo was about to be snatched away, he would be able to relax.

"Well, we all know you're the great master when it comes to saving money. It's almost like magic the way you do that. Would you consider accepting me as your humble disciple?"

"You? Humble?" Ryo snorted.

"Hey, whaddaya mean by that? I can do 'humble'."

"Yeah, that's exactly the problem."

"Aww, c'mon, dude! We both know I'm not likely to listen to anyone else. You're the only one who can help me here. Before it's too late, I mean."

"Well..." Ryo's face was changing color again, which Dee had always found absolutely fascinating. "I suppose there are things we could both teach each other." His eyes, which had hitherto been jumping away from Dee's now met his with steady courage. This was another thing Dee loved about Ryo. He was such a big scaredy-cat about sexual and emotional topics, but whenever he wasn't confused, he was capable of facing his fears and taking risks. Dee knew, he truly knew, how much each of these small risks cost Ryo.

The fish had just jumped into his boat. But he didn't care. That wasn't the point. He scooted closer, fighting a powerful need to seize Ryo in his arms and devour him, to somehow become one with him.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like me to teach you?" His face hovered close to Ryo's and, as always, he was already starting to become intoxicated by the other man's nearness, his sweet breath, the smell of his hair and skin.

Ryo blushed deeper and didn't answer right away. Dee nuzzled him and prompted, "Mm?"

"W-well, maybe one or two things," he finally said.

"Oh? Like what?" There was a smile, a bit of a purr actually, in Dee's voice.

"Oh, just...you know, sex things..." mumbled Ryo.

"Sex things! My specialty. But let's get a little more specific. Which" -- Dee picked up Ryo's hand and sank his teeth gently into the side of his palm--" 'sex thing' would you like to learn first?"

Ryo panicked and tried to squirm away, but Dee pulled him back. "Oh no sexy, you're not going anywhere. Not till you tell me what you'd like to learn." He bent his head to Ryo's and kissed him, once, twice, with just a hint of tongue.

"Dee, I...I...don't ask me right now, please." His eyes were twin obsidian pools that were somehow full of light. "I feel--I don't..."

Courage had fled and confusion had returned. Dee knew it was time to fall back on action.

"Sshh, baby. You don't have say anything. Just let me love you."

Another kiss, a long one that produced soft gasps and a different kind of squirming from the escape-oriented kind. Dee's left hand was busy slowly pulling Ryo's tucked-in shirt out of his jeans, one tug at a time. Yes, he had learned that slow was still the way to go with his skittish Ryo, at least until he got him past the point of no return. Dee broke the kiss and began to gently nibble and suck his way along his lover's jaw and down the side of his neck to his shoulder. Once there, he gave him a good bite, a little bit rough. Ryo was well protected by muscle there, and Dee knew from experience that it was a sensitive area for him. Ryo responded by shivering and shuddering, and a hoarse cry broke out of him. Suddenly, he realized what he'd done, and clamped a hand over his mouth, staring up at Dee in alarm.

Dee got off the sofa and said, "Come on, let's move this into the bedroom."

"But, what about Bikky...I don't want him to..."

"So, we'll be real quiet. And we'll put the radio on. Come on, the brat could be out here any minute and catch you with that look on your face."

Ryo put a hand to his heated face. "What look?"

"Three guesses, dude. Want me to spell it out for you?" Dee pulled his partner to his feet and started guiding him gently out of the living room. Outside the bedroom door, Ryo hesitated, his eyes flickering anxiously toward Bikky's closed door. "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow," he suggested in an anxious whisper, "when he's at school."

"We'll be quiet," repeated Dee firmly, aware that he was lying through his teeth. After all, Ryo had been anything but quiet during their previous encounters. Ryo nodded and allowed Dee to draw him into the bedroom. Once there, one look at the bed and then at Dee brought back a rush of memories. He recalled how excited he had been the last couple of times he had been in here with Dee, and what pleasure his vibrant, passionate lover had given him. At that moment, Ryo knew he was a goner. Bikky wasn't entirely out of his mind, but he had been pushed to the furthest reaches of it by his need for Dee. He locked the door, and turned back to his partner, who was one-handedly unbuttoning his own shirt. There was a prominent bulge in the front of the younger man's jeans, which immediately sent Ryo's focus down to his own stiffening erection. He started to undo the buttons of his denim shirt, but Dee reached out and stopped him. Ryo looked down at Dee's powerful hands as they undressed and caressed him. It was still a little strange for him to see a man's hands, instead of a woman's, on his body. But it was exciting. And it felt so amazing. Ryo observed that not only was Dee trembling slightly, but he was also struggling to control his breathing, which had become heavier since they had entered this room. Ryo's apprehension about Bikky faded still further as he processed the information that his handsome lover was in a wild state of desire for him, and was trying not to let him see the full extent of it.

A brief urge to take control of the situation, to tease and torment Dee until he was begging for release rose up in Ryo, but was quickly driven down by uncertainty. He wasn't sure exactly how to achieve that condition in his lover, and he didn't want to embarrass himself. Best to let Dee take the lead for now, which he was doing very ably anyway.

Dee was now sliding his shirt off his shoulders. Ryo helpfully shrugged his arms out of it. Both men were naked from the waist up, and when Ryo let Dee pull him into his arms, they both reacted to that first thrilling shock of skin on skin.

For Dee, the sensation of Ryo's willing body pressing up against his, and the feel of his partner's hands roaming hesitantly over his back and shoulders, gripping and squeezing his biceps, was heaven. It was what he had wanted for so long. He was so in love with this beautiful, sexy, soft-hearted man in his arms. He had been in love before, but not like this. He had never even imagined it could be like this.

Dee was kissing Ryo's hair, ear, and neck with such demanding tenderness that Ryo almost forgot about the music. He reluctantly moved his head back so he could look at Dee.

"What about the radio?"

Dee stepped backwards towards the bed, pulling Ryo with him. "I know just the thing," he said softly, flipping open a jewel case and inserting a CD into the small bedside stereo, all while keeping one hand on Ryo.

Ryo climbed onto the bed as new age strings filled the air around them. "Is this okay?" Dee asked.

"It'll do. But turn it up a bit, will you?" Ryo lay down next to where Dee was sitting.

Dee did, and turned back to Ryo. "I love you, baby," he whispered, and kissed him before Ryo had a chance to reply. Dee poured so much love, passion, and skill into that kiss that the room spun round for Ryo and he was glad he was lying down.

When their lips parted, Dee quickly stood up and removed his jeans. Ryo followed suit after a moment of self-consciousness. He folded his jeans, not quite ready to look at Dee, and tossed them onto a chair near the bed.

He turned back to find his lover advancing on him, eyes intently staring into his as if he were looking deep into Ryo's very soul. Even now, after so much had changed between them, Ryo still found it disconcerting. Then the green gaze was gone, and Dee's long body was stretched out on top of his, his hands reaching for Ryo's and entwining their fingers together.

They made love urgently, if not quietly. It was a meeting of hearts as well as bodies. The music swelled around them, entered them, passed through them, and seemed to climax when they did. In his room, Bikky rolled his eyes and turned up his own music.

For some time afterwards, the two men lay in each other's arms in a sated haze. Ryo felt sleepy and relaxed. He wanted to get up and have a shower, but he didn't want to leave Dee. Just then, he heard the toilet flush, and that reminded him of Bikky.

"Hey, do you think he heard us?" he asked Dee.

"Nah," his partner replied reassuringly. "He saw the writing on the wall at dinnertime. You can bet his headphones haven't left his ears since."

"Well, I hope you're right," said Ryo a little doubtfully. He was blushing. Even in the darkness, Dee knew it, because Ryo's face was pressed against his chest, and he could feel it getting warm.

"We had our own music, too," Dee reminded him.

"Yeah, and what made you choose Aunt Elena's relaxation CD?" Ryo complained.

"That's not relaxation music, it's sex music. I'm just glad we finally got some mileage out of that sucker. Come on, don't you think it was perfect?"

"Yes, it was," Ryo admitted. "But now I can never use it for relaxation again, because every time I hear it I'll think of sex."

Dee laughed softly. "Come on, dude, like that'd be a bad thing! You don't need a relaxation CD anyway, now that you've got me!"

As if on cue, the music stopped.

"See?" Dee added.

Ryo raised his head and looked at his grinning partner. "Oh Dee, I do love you," he said.

Dee's grin disappeared and his eyes softened. "I love you, too," he said simply. "More than you know."

Ryo moved forward and kissed him tenderly, and as he did, he felt Dee's penis stir underneath him. He broke the kiss and stared at Dee in surprise. "What, twice wasn't enough?" he demanded.

"What can I say? He responds to love! C'mere, you sexy thing..."

A little while later, Ryo spoke, his voice low and breathy. "Dee. Hit play. "

Not long after after one a.m., Dee was roused from sleep by the sound of someone tiptoeing past the bedroom door. There was something inherently stealthy about that sound, which aroused his cop instincts, and brought him suddenly fully alert. It had to be Bikky and he had to be up to no good. Dee extricated himself from Ryo as carefully and as quickly as possible. If the kid was on his way out, he'd best catch him before he made it out the door and down the stairs. Once his feet were on the floor, he cast about for something to wear, and found his jeans. He knew they were his and not Ryo's because unlike him, Ryo never threw his jeans on the floor, even if he had a hard-on and a willing partner. As he opened the bedroom door, he heard the front door click quietly closed. He hurried after the departing Bikky, and exited the apartment just in time to see the brat, fully clothed and with his rollerblades slung over his shoulder, starting down the stairs.

"Yo," said Dee softly, and pulled the apartment door shut behind him, to prevent any noise from waking Ryo.

Bikky started and stared back at Dee in dismay.

"Aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

Bikky looked at his feet. "I gotta go fight someone."

"You gotta, or you wanna?"

"Both. It's a matter of honour."

Dee recognized the look on Bikky's face. "Oh, something to do with Carol?" he asked.

"N-- Something like that." Bikky looked away.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Fuck, no. Just lemme go do it. Or school's gonna be impossible tomorrow."

"Are you in trouble?"

"Nah. It's just a smartass loudmouth a couple of years older than me. He doesn't know it, but I can take him."

Dee looked at Bikky thoughtfully for a moment. He knew what he should do as a responsible adult and as the co-parent that he secretly saw himself as, but he also understood what he thought Bikky was up against, better than most people would.

"Go," he said. "But don't hang around when you're done. Get back here ASAP. And don't damage the other guy too much. Remember, you're going for respect, not injuries that could bring parental involvement. If you get brought back here by any of our brothers in blue, you're on your own with explaining that to Ryo. As far as I'm concerned, this conversation never happened. Got it?"

"Thanks, man," Bikky gave him a brief grin of surprised relief before turning and running softly down the stairs.

Dee let himself quietly back into the apartment, wondering if he had done the right thing. Ryo would probably never forgive him if anything happened to Bikky. But his gut told him that Bikky had more than his fair share of street smarts and could take care of himself.

End of chapter seven

To the reader: Thanks for staying with me this far. I'm sorry for the big delay since my last post, but first there was my vacation, and then December with all its Christmas 'busy-ness' just K.O'd me. I'll get back to work now!


	8. Chapter 8

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May) Chapter 8**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter eight is rated "T". There's no sex in this chapter. Not even any kissing or groping (sigh). But you know, sometimes I have to put the romance on hold in order to advance the plot. I believe this chapter has some swearing in it. SORRY but I had to repost this chapter as I forgot to refer to Abernathy as Lieutenant Abernathy before. If he's a fellow cop, he can't just be 'Mr.' Sorry about that!

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this. However, Mike Abernathy is mine and so is his son Thomas Abernathy. I have not based either of them on any person living or dead.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Chapter nine is complete and you'll be able to find it on my Livejournal address. Emai me if you want it.

I'm lucky enough to have this totally fabulous beta called Blue Simplicity. She doesn't hesitate to call me on it whenever I'm inconsistent or going off track. Thank you, Blue. You're wonderful!

FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)

Chapter 8

Detectives Laytner and McLean stood in the tiled foyer of Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy's elegant apartment, waiting for Mrs. Abernathy to return with a list of her son's friends and their phone numbers. She was a small, intelligent, British woman, very chic and very reserved. She didn't seem even the slightest bit distraught. She certainly didn't strike them as a mother whose thirteen-year-old son was missing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she returned with a slip of paper, which Dee took from her hand. "That's all of them, I think. There may be others I don't know about."

" All of them?" queried Dee. "There are only two names on this list."

"Well, my son is a bit of a loner, you see. Not a joiner. Likes to spend time on his computer, you know, like so many young people nowadays. I believe he has heaps of internet friends, however."

"Could we see his room, ma'am?" asked Ryo.

After the merest hesitation, she said, "Of course! But I should warn you that it's rather a mess in there. I'm afraid he had a bit of a temper tantrum before he left and destroyed some of his belongings."

The boy's room was indeed a shambles. The floor was covered in broken CDs that looked as though they'd been trampled. There were torn posters and books scattered about the room, and a smashed computer monitor lay on its side.

"Holy hot damn, that was some temper tantrum," whistled Dee, as his eyes swept over the damage.

"Yes, it certainly was," Mrs. Abernathy agreed. "He tends to be somewhat emotional, our Thomas. Frankly, I'm at a loss how to deal with him, sometimes." She spread her hands and gave them a 'what can I do?' kind of look.

"What was the tantrum about?" Ryo's voice was soft, belying the hard interest that showed on his face.

"Well, he and his father are always at loggerheads over something. I think it was about his friends... My husband would like him to be, ah, a little more _circumspect_ in that regard, and Thomas protested."

"We have information that his father was perhaps violent toward him," said Ryo in the same soft voice.

Mrs. Abernathy betrayed the first real emotion she had shown so far. "Goodness, no!" she said. "Certainly NOT. You don't understand. Mike loves that boy, just adores him."

"We spoke to one of his friends yesterday who told us something about how your son perceived his life here," Ryo elaborated.

Seeing that all this was going to do was elicit another denial, Dee cut in bluntly with "Whether it's true or not, if the kid is even SAYING he's being abused, we're gonna have to refer it to the child welfare authorities for further investigation."

"Well, I certainly hope you find him soon so we can clear up this misconception," she said, returning to her former unruffled state. "And now, gentlemen, if you don't need anything else from me, I'm afraid I have an appointment to get to."

She led them out of Thomas' room. Back in the foyer, Dee asked her for a drink of water and followed her into the kitchen. Between sips, he looked around appreciatively.

"Nice place you got here," he said.

She shrugged. "It's adequate for our needs." She stood there, patiently as he finished his drink and only looked at her watch once.

"Thank you," he said, handing her the glass, and walking back to where Ryo was waiting.

"Thank you for coming, gentlemen," said Mrs. Abernathy. "Do call if you find him, any time of the day or night. Just leave a message if we happen to be out."

"Yes ma'am," said Ryo. "Good bye."

Dee gave her a brief nod. The door clicked firmly shut behind them. They waited until they were in the elevator before turning to each other with their impressions.

"'Leave a message'?" Ryo repeated, shaking his head. There was a little glint of anger in his eyes. "What do you wanna bet that she has a cell phone, but just didn't want us to be able to contact her on it?"

"Yeah, definitely something weird going on here. Her son's been missing for four days and it seems to be more of an inconvenience than anything else."

"Did you buy the part about the temper tantrum?" Ryo asked.

"Nah. A kid who reportedly lived on his computer wouldn't have smashed his monitor like that."

"Yeah, and I thought the broken CDs were a bit iffy too. Half of them looked like music he'd burned himself and the other half looked like games. I can't see him smashing his games and his tunes when he could have taken out his anger on something less personal, like his clock radio or the water mug by his bed."

Dee remarked that there had been no pictures of the boy or the family anywhere, no evidence that a kid actually lived in that place, except his room.

"In your place you've got Bikky's basketball trophy up on top of the TV, you've got framed pictures of him on the living room wall, photos of him and his friends on the fridge… his second favorite sports bag lives on the hooks by the door…Here, it's like the kid's just a boarder.

Ryo listened, surprised, because although he had also noticed the absence of 'kid'-oriented paraphernalia, he hadn't put quite the same spin on it that Dee did. He had attributed it more to the Abernathys' desire to keep a neat and stylish apartment, which was something he could entirely relate to, than to a lack of regard for their son. He felt a little embarrassed that he had been paying more attention to the art on the walls and the quality renovation job that the Abernathys had obviously had done on their suite than he had to the fact that nothing of Thomas' seemed to be in the main living area. He was once again struck by Dee's perceptiveness and his facility for noticing details. It was one of the qualities that made him so well suited to police work. Dee cultivated an attitude of carelessness, which most people didn't look beyond, but Ryo knew that when something was important to him he wasn't careless at all.

However, "Hmm, it DOES live on the hooks by the door, doesn't it?" was all he said.

"Let's go see what Daddy has to say." Dee strode toward the car.

&&&&&&&&

Mike Abernathy was a smallish man with a big, bluff, hearty Irish voice that seemed at odds with his cold, suspicious eyes.

"What was your name? Laytner? Think I've heard of you! You caught that fellow was murdering young ladies and chopping off their hands, am I right? 'Bout six, seven months back?"

"Eight. And yep, that was me AND my partner here Detective McLean." Dee indicated Ryo.

Lieutenant Abernathy pumped Ryo's hand absently without really looking at him. "Yes, yes," he said. "Good job, the pair of you. Parents citywide were relieved when that monster was finally nabbed. But you, Detective Laytner, YOU were the one who sent him to hospital, correct? Ha-ha! As I recall, the outset of the trial had to be delayed because he wasn't completely recovered from his injuries!"

"Geez, does EVERYONE know about that?" muttered Dee, scratching his head. "Well, you know," he added, uncomfortably aware that he was standing in the offices of Internal Affairs, "if he hadn't resisted arrest the way he did…"

"Say no more, boy, say no more. Even in IA, we do have some understanding of the workings of the real world, believe it or not! Please sit down, the pair of you. I take it that you two are the ones that Warren has assigned to find my son?"

"That's right, sir," Ryo spoke up. "We're confident that we're going to find him soon. In fact, we almost had him yesterday, but he was a little too fast for us."

"Oh-ho! I know what you mean – my Tommy can be quick on his feet. For a while there, he was a member of his school's track team -- now there was some fancy footwork. But, he didn't stick with it, as usual, did he now? Kids today, I just don't know."

"Did he quit the track team, then?" Ryo asked.

"Yes, perhaps one step ahead of being kicked off of it by his irate coach. Tommy was cutting practices, and showing up late or not at all for meet after meet. I don't know what was going on there. I think it was just a bad crowd that he had the misfortune to fall in with." Lt. Abernathy sounded resigned and perhaps the tiniest bit bitter.

"Was your son involved with drugs, sir?" Dee asked bluntly.

"My own Tommy? Goodness no. At least, I hope not." Lt. Abernathy hesitated, rather theatrically, to Dee's mind, before adding, "Well, I can't be sure, anymore."

But Ryo appeared to be in sympathy with him. "It's so hard to protect them sir, isn't it? Especially in a city like this."

Lt. Abernathy's eyes narrowed slightly as he took note of Ryo, seemingly for the first time.

"De-tec-tive McLean," he murmured thoughtfully. "Yes, you're the parent of a rather difficult teenage boy, yourself, aren't you? You understand the tribulations we fathers go through, I think."

Ryo reddened slightly, but his face didn't otherwise change. Dee knew he was surprised. But this did appear to bear out his theory that the chief had asked them to take care of this case because of Ryo's experience with Bikky.

"Yes, I think I do," Ryo agreed in his quiet voice. "We have to let go and trust them, but we also have to be able to read their minds at will. It can be quite a challenge."

"Mmmm, absolutely. And the law gives us practically no power to do what's necessary to protect them."

"How do you mean, Lieutenant?"

"Well for example, when they insist on running around with friends who are bad for them, who can undermine their entire future. You try to forbid it, but they lie and sneak around behind your back, or they out and out defy you to your face!"

"Uh, yeah, I've gone through that, too," said Ryo, looking down at the floor. Dee knew he was remembering Bikky's recent escapade.

"But the law does not allow us to properly protect them or teach them the error of their ways, now does it? The rights of the child are paramount in this day and age."

"Well, exactly which ways of protecting them or teaching them are you referring to?" asked Dee, interested.

Lt. Abernathy leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling with the air of a man who was about to embark on a story. "When I was a boy in Ireland," he began, "I had me a strict, God-fearin' father. I had me some strict, God-fearin' teachers, aunties and uncles, too. It was difficult for a boy bent on trouble to get up to any, what with all the eyes on my activities and the consequences of getting caught. However, boys will be boys to a certain degree, and I'll admit there were times when my old man warmed my backside for me, and sent me to bed without any supper. There was even a time when I spent most of a summer week locked in my auntie's attic, with naught but an old fashioned chamber pot and the Good Book to keep me company. I have to say that these methods, while strict, went a long way toward keeping me on the straight and narrow." He sighed dramatically. "But strap a child's behind today? Lock him in his room? Well that's assault and unlawful confinement, isn't it? Under our current laws, it is the God-given right of a minor to come and go as he pleases, to choose the company he keeps, no matter how dangerous, and to thumb his nose at his parents, who only want the best for him!" He looked directly at Ryo. "Isn't that so, Detective McLean?"

"Ah…well, I can't say I had the same kind of upbringing you did, sir, and yet I was, for the most part, a well-behaved child."

Mike Abernathy seemed to be waiting, so Ryo went on. "I think each child is different, and our methods must vary accordingly. Punishment is also a matter of degree. One man may scold or slap his son, whereas another might beat him black and blue. As LEOs, we have a special responsibility to stay within the confines of the law." He fixed Abernathy with a deliberately assessing look, which was not misunderstood by the other.

Mike Abernathy looked Ryo up and down, and said, "Me boy, there are many ways of judging whether a man be a fit father or not. For every ten men who slap or confine their sons, there'll always be one or two who do worse, if you catch me drift. Occasionally, there have been men of a certain…_proclivity_ who even seek to adopt young boys for their own improper purposes with nary a woman in sight."

_What the hell?_ thought Dee. The man was clearly implying that there was something twisted about Ryo's motives for adopting Bikky. Every instinct Dee possessed warned him of danger. Goddamned Internal Affairs bastard. Suddenly he couldn't wait to get out of there. But one glance at Ryo's impassive but determined face told him that his partner was not about to scurry away just because this bullying little man had thrown down a somewhat daunting gauntlet. Without taking his eyes from his opponent's, Ryo pulled out his notebook.

"Lieutenant Abernathy," he said in his firm, professional police detective voice. "I'm afraid I have to ask you a few questions."

Dee leaned back in his chair and flicked his gaze from the first to the second window in Mike Abernathy's nicely furnished corner office. There was a beautiful blue spring sky out there, but things were about to get unpleasant in here. There was no escape. Dee almost grinned, but controlled himself. He decided he might as well get as comfortable as possible. An evil part of him hoped Ryo would lose his temper. He always enjoyed seeing Ryo lose control and flip out, provided it wasn't directed at him. But in the next moment he felt guilty for such a thought. Brash though he was, he had every cop's horror of falling afoul of IA, and he didn't want Ryo to be in any trouble. He dragged his attention back to the proceedings.

His partner was asking Lt. Abernathy about the broken computer.

"It happened during an altercation I was having with Tommy. He was shouting and throwing things, and in my somewhat 'athletic' efforts to avoid the missiles, I fell against the computer and it ended up broken."

"Can you tell me the nature of the altercation, sir?"

"It was concerning his no-good friends. Buncha drug-usin' sexual deviants that he met over his damn computer. Oh, they were losing no time at all in leading him down a wrong and ugly path."

"Was it following this particular altercation that your son left home?"

"Yes. And we miss him something terrible." Those words sounded strange indeed, considering the hostile tone of voice in which they were spoken.

"Would you be able to supply me with your wife's cell phone number, sir? I neglected to get it from her when we met with her earlier."

After a moment's hesitation, Lt. Abernathy said, "I'll have to admit to not knowing my wife's cell number off the top of my head. She doesn't like people calling her on it unless it's an emergency."

Ryo just looked at him and waited with raised eyebrows. This succeeded in making the IA agent's face go a little darker.

"I'll have her call you with it later," he finally answered.

"Fine," said Ryo. "And may I have yours too?"

Abernathy rattled it off and Ryo took it down.

Dee spoke. "We'd also like to know, sir, why you and your wife waited almost 48 hours until after your son's disappearance to contact the police."

"Ah, well you see, the boy has run off and come back on his own before now. He just stays with friends and then comes home feeling repentant. When that didn't happen this time, we naturally got the police involved."

"Can you speculate as to why your son may be feeling less…'repentant' this time?" Ryo asked.

Abernathy seemed to be grinding his teeth together as he gathered himself to answer. "No, boy, that's your job. I don't think endless speculation from a distraught parent would be helpful at this point."

"Is your son angry with you?"

Abernathy emitted a short, harsh bark of laughter. "He's a teenager and I'm his hardass cop father. He's often angry with me. Isn't your son the same, McLean, or are you a lot more, ah, _permissive_ with yours?"

Dee could see that Ryo was starting to get angry, and damn it, he was getting angry too. Who did this arrogant little man think he was? God?

"Detective McLean's boy isn't missing, sir; yours is. Let's just stick to the subject of Thomas. The sooner we have all the information we need, the sooner we can leave you to your work," he snapped.

Abernathy's unfriendly gaze swung toward him and eyed him speculatively. Then he snorted dismissively and one corner of his mouth lifted in a derisive smile. However, he didn't say anything.

Ryo was remembering Eddie's brief description of the bruises he had seen on Thomas' legs. He shook himself from those thoughts and said, "I just want to make you aware, sir, that an associate of your son's, whom we currently have in custody, has told us that your son has suffered physical violence from you and in fact fears to return home."

Abernathy finally lost it. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He roared. "Poncing in here and threatening me! Implying that I –I! have been abusing the son I love more than my life! I am not on trial here! Your instructions were merely to find the boy and return him to the bosom of his family, not to dig up all kinds of potentially damaging hearsay! You're nothing but a dime-a-dozen detective, a jumped-up public bloodhound."

At that point, Ryo interjected impatiently. "Whatever you want to call us, we're the ones who are going to find your son, who is currently sleeping in the streets and going without meals thanks to his unhappy home situation."

"And if the boy confirms abuse at you or your wife's hands, we're obligated to report it to the child welfare authorities," added Dee, echoing his earlier words to Thomas's mother.

"We'll see what the boy says IF you succeed in finding him," growled Abernathy. "In the meantime, I'm going to speak to Warren. I'm not at all sure that a pair of oddball dandies like you two are the best people to be looking for a vulnerable and confused lad like Tommy. Now get the hell out of here, gentlemen. This interview is over. I've got phone calls to make."

Dee and Ryo stood to leave. Ryo's face was red and Dee knew that inside he must be seething, but by some miracle of self-control that Dee rather admired, his partner's voice and facial expression remained detached and professional.

"One last question, sir." Ryo gave the lieutenant a hard look. "Do you then unequivocally deny that you have ever abused your son?"

Abernathy leapt to his feet and spat something after them, but it was quite profane and they didn't catch it in its entirety. It wasn't exactly an answer anyway.

"Guess not," Ryo muttered to Dee as they strode down the hallway to the alarmed stares of the staff.

"Jumped up public bloodhounds? Dime-a-dozen detectives? ODDBALL DANDIES?" demanded Dee, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dude, we have been well and truly insulted."

Getting no response, he shot a sideways look at Ryo, once they reached the elevator. Ryo was wearing what Dee called his 'pigheaded expression', looking stubborn and rebellious at the same time. What the hell had his partner been thinking, taking on IA on their home ground? Sweet Jesus, did he ever need a cigarette.

end of chapter eight


	9. Chapter 9

FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)

Chapter 9

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter nine is rated "Mature". There's no sex in this chapter. Just some kissing, groping and swearing. But there's sex in chapter 10! Yes there is, and it ain't just oral this time! And you know what? It's up right now on my Livejournal page! This site does not permit direct links, so if you want the address, please email me. If you are a child, please do NOT go there and read it.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this. Oh, but I created Thomas and Mike Abernathy, and they are not based on anyone living or dead. If your name is Abernathy, sorry about that!

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Beta'd by the tough, smart, funny, and exacting Blue Simplicity. Thank you, Blue!

FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)

Chapter 9

"Ouch!" said Carol, peering at Bikky's face. She ran her fingertips lightly over the bruised skin around his right eye. "Did you get some ice on that? Does it hurt?"

Bikky enjoyed her concern, and the gentle touch of her fingers, even though it made his face throb a little more. "Yes to the ice, no to the pain." Of course he was lying about the pain, but she didn't need to know that he wasn't made of steel.

Carol looked doubtful. "Well, it sure looks painful."

"You should ask that asshole Brody if he's in any pain today." Bikky grinned irrepressibly. He took Carol's backpack and swung it onto his own shoulder. She had long ago given up protesting about this little habit of his.

"What did Ryo say when he saw your eye?"

"Nothing, because he hasn't seen it yet."

"Huh? Did you actually get up early and sneak out of the house?"

"Something like that."

"Well, don't you think that's going to make him suspicious? You never get up early."

"Not true. I have been known to get up early for basketball games. Anyway, I left Ryo a note saying I had to meet a friend."

"So you've got until dinnertime tonight to think of something."

"Actually, I got a bit more time than that. Because of those two NBA games tonight, Ryo and Dorkhead switched shifts with two of their co-workers. Ryo won't be home until after eleven. I think I can avoid him until tomorrow. Maybe by then my face will be a little closer to normal."

"Hmm." Carol looked at him critically. "I wouldn't bet on that."

"Hey, do you think I could cover it with make-up?" Bikky sounded hopeful.

Carol burst out laughing. "Bikky, you live with a cop! Do you think he wouldn't notice?"

"Aah, yeah, you're right. Well, I'll just have to think of something good."

"It better be. He's probably already on his guard because (a) you got up unusually early and (b) you left him a note saying you were meeting a friend."

"What's the problem with meeting a friend?"

"Hello-o! Seeing as how you're grounded yet again, isn't meeting friends a no-no?"

"Nah, I got it covered. I said I was meeting a friend to get some math pointers."

"Bikky, he'll never go for that! That's so lame. That's not you at all."

They were heading towards the steps of their high school. Heads turned as they passed. At fifteen, Carol was well on her way to becoming the reigning beauty of the school.

She waved at a group of her friends whom Bikky knew were watching them with interest. He always felt so proud to be seen with her, and he knew himself well enough to know it was written all over his face, no matter how detached he tried to make himself appear. He had taken enough flak for it over the years, that was for sure.

"That's where you're wrong. This is the new improved me."

"Well, was that thing about the math friend actually true then?"

"Sure it was!" Bikky pulled out a crumpled paper. "Can you just check that I have the decimals in the right places? Thanks, you're a real pal."

"Bikky G, you never change," said Carol. But she was smiling.

&&&&&&&

Ryo spooned extra spinach onto Bikky's plate. "Tell me again how you got that black eye, but this time without the BS. Come on, out with it."

Bikky sighed and took a tentative mouthful of the spinach. Just as he had suspected, it was foul. He couldn't understand why the pervert was eating it with such gusto. He chewed it as slowly as he could, then swallowed it with a grimace. Maybe he should just tell the truth now, get yelled at and sent to his room, and then he wouldn't have to eat the rest of his vegetables. He took a sip of his juice and swished it around in his mouth to get rid of the spinach taste.

"Bikky, you can't stall forever."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry I tried to snow you, but I didn't think you'd be happy with the truth. I got in a fight."

"What happened?"

"Oh, some smartass dissed me and we went at it. It's no big deal."

"B, you've been fighting more and more. We talked about this last time. You promised me you were going to try and tone it down. Did this happen at school?"

"No. Don't worry, I haven't been expelled or anything."

"Yeah, but if you don't start learning to walk away every time someone insults you, that's exactly what's going to happen. You've got to work on your self control."

Bikky looked down at his plate. This was going better than he had expected. It didn't seem like Ryo was going to start yelling anytime soon, since he appeared to be in lecture mode. Guess that meant he was going to have to eat that spinach after all.

"I been trying, Ryo. But sometimes...Sometimes a guy's gotta fight."

"Nonsense," said Ryo. "Let me see that eye." He pushed Bikky's hair gently up off his face and inspected it, clucking disapprovingly. "You know if you'd put some ice on this right after it happened, it would've helped a lot."

"I would have, but we didn't have any," protested Bikky, pulling away from Ryo. "Anyway, it's just a little shiner, that's all. No big woop."

But Ryo's hands had gone still. "We do have ice. I filled the tray yesterday morning...Say, when exactly did this fight happen?"

"Hey Ryo," said Dee. "This spinach isn't bad. It was much worse last time. At least you didn't overcook it today."

"I didn't overcook it last time." Ryo's eyes were boring into Bikky's. "When and where did this fight happen, B? You better answer me right now."

Dee ate steadily throughout the ensuing yelling and scolding. He had never been one to let a noisy argument or another person's fit of temper come between him and his lunch. Mealtimes had often been clamorous and full of strife during his youth in the orphanage, and had been likely to end abruptly with everyone being sent to their dorm rooms if Mother lost patience with them all. He had learned early on to keep his head down and shovel food into his mouth while it was still on the table.

Accordingly when Bikky had trudged off to his room and Dee's turn came, he didn't have to endure Ryo's displeasure on an empty stomach. He could have used a cigarette though.

Ryo's eyes were like two hard black stones. "Spill," he said.

Dee was indignant. "I can't believe the monkey brat sold me out!" He sputtered. "After all the things I do for him--"

"He didn't; I just figured it out. Tell me what could have possibly been going through your mind to let him go out at one a.m. so that he could keep his 'date' for a fight with an older, bigger boy?"

"Now, now, come on, dude, you're not gonna go all postal on me, are you? I know I shouldn't have let him go, and I know I should have told you, but, shit, it's like he said, sometimes a guy's gotta fight."

"Dee, I trusted you! I can't believe you let me down like that. What if something terrible had happened, huh? What if we'd gotten that three a.m. call saying 'come to the hospital' or worse, 'come to the morgue'?"

"That call could come for any of us, at anytime, Ryo."

"Stop making excuses for your irresponsible behaviour," Ryo snapped. "You're supposed to be an adult, dammit. Sometimes I feel like you and Bikky are exactly the same age and I have to be the parent for both of you! I can't BELIEVE you did that to me."

Dee hung his head. "Ryo, I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. This is serious, Dee. All these years I've been feeling like we were kind of in this with Bikky together. Of course, you've spent lots of time acting like an idiot child around him, so I don't know why I'm so surprised now. But I thought that with the big stuff, I could count on you, that you'd back me up -- Shit, I guess that makes _me_ the idiot, doesn't it?"

Ryo was angry and clearly felt betrayed. Dee didn't mind the anger so much. He thought it was quite justified. But he didn't like Ryo to feel that he was unreliable.

"Now, Ryo, that's not fair. I've always backed you up and I always will. You know you can count on me. But I don't regard a scrap between two boys to be 'big stuff' even if it did take place at one a.m. with my knowledge and consent. Sometimes...it's necessary to fight. Bikky has to fight to protect himself from future fights and he does that by letting them know right at the beginning that they can't push him around. You should be glad that he can defend himself. Come on, you must have some idea what it's like out there for a kid like Bikky."

"I think I live with him, Dee."

"Yeah, but kids don't tell their parents everything."

Ryo was silent.

"He didn't exactly volunteer to tell me either," Dee went on warily. "I just caught him sneaking out, that's all. I let him go because in my estimation this particular fight was inevitable, since it was about respect. If a guy's absolutely gotta fight, then sometimes it's better if he can control the time and place so as to minimize fallout."

"What do you mean, it was about 'respect'?"

"The guy that Bikky fought -- now he and his whole crew will leave Biks alone. They'll find someone else to pick on."

Frowning, Ryo thought about it. Finally, he said, "Dee, that may be true, but I just don't think fighting is the way. I want Bikky to step away from that life. I want him to learn other ways to settle disputes than by simply using his fists. And I want him safe in his bed late at night, not roaming around the streets." Wounded dark eyes met Dee's steadily for a moment. "And I want to feel like -- like you're not working against me... that you're willing to help me. I need that, Dee."

Dee's expression was such a comical combination of shame and pleasure that Ryo might have laughed had the circumstances been different.

"Ryo, you can absolutely count on me. It's true I sometimes act like a kid. I know that, and I know I gotta get over it. It's just that..." He groped for words. "I look at Bikky's situation from a different place than you do, and until I get better at this, I guess sometimes I'm gonna make a bad call." Sighing, he ran a hand through his glossy hair, leaving part of it sticking up.

Mollified, Ryo reached out a hand to smooth it down. "You and me both," he said. "Bikky didn't exactly come with a manual, did he?"

"If he did, the brat would have probably tossed it off the Brooklyn bridge before we ever got a look at it. So...am I forgiven? Are we good?" Dee looked at him hopefully.

"Well, yeah, I guess so. But you have to promise never to do anything like that again. Or...or I'll let Bikky loose in your closet with a glue gun and a pair of scissors!"

Dee's eyes widened in horror. "Dude, not my clothes! You know, you can be kinda scary. But fortunately I can handle scary...Come here."

Dee pulled him into his arms, and after a momentary hesitation, Ryo decided not to fight it. He closed his eyes and let Dee hold and caress him. It felt so good to allow himself to rest against Dee's warm, strong body.

Ryo was silent for awhile. Finally he spoke, his voice just a little hesitant. "Some blow-up that was at Mike Abernathy's office yesterday, huh?"

"Shit, yeah. I thought the guy was going to rupture something."

"Yeah, he sure was mad."

"Why'd you go after him like that, anyway?"

Ryo was glad he wasn't looking at Dee. "I-- I'm not sure. It was a combination of things. What Eddie told us, for one, and his attitude for another. It was almost like I couldn't stop myself. I was trying to keep it in my head that he's IA and therefore dangerous, but --"

"But?"

"But when he started talking about strapping children's behinds, well I just...couldn't let that go by."

"Yeah, that was interesting, wasn't it? What a team those parents are. No wonder the kid took off."

"Dee, I've been thinking about Abernathy and me. Are we so different? I mean...I've smacked Bikky a few times, just like my dad did to me whenever I got into trouble as a kid. If he's smacking his kid too, maybe he's just doing it out of love."

Dee looked surprised. "YOU got into trouble? And here I had you figured for a goody-goody golden boy who never put a foot wrong."

Ryo's eyes showed a hint of irritation. "Don't change the subject; I'm trying to be serious here. Abernathy is a product of his upbringing just like everyone, and whatever it is he's doing to Thomas is probably only what his own father did to him. He's repeating a pattern. But I want it to be different between Bikky and me. If I'm going to break my own pattern, the time to do it is now."

"You know, some kids just need to be smacked. I was one and Lord knows Jess smacked me upside the head pretty well whenever he saw me. I think Bikky is that kind of kid too. And, Ryo, despite what you think, you don't really hit Bikky. What Jess used to do to me, now THAT was hitting, and I can't say I didn't deserve it. What you do to Bikky is, at worst, a bop on the head." Dee paused and chuckled softly. "Of course the rugrat deserves an Academy Award for all the wailing and cringing. I wonder if that would have worked on Jess?"

"Well, I don't think I should do it anymore. He's learning from me that when you're pissed off at someone, it's okay to hit them. I want him to learn a better way." Ryo looked down at his hands.

"Dude, I'm sure his life now is a thousand times better than it was before you came along. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing great." Dee picked up one of Ryo's hands and kissed his fingers. The tension had returned to Ryo's body and Dee wanted to do whatever it took to get him to relax again. He knew his partner had a lot on his mind. In addition to the usual Bikky problems and anxiety about being a good parent was added the new worry about a possible retaliation from IA.

"Ryo, come to my place," Dee said suddenly, impulsive as ever.

"What the hell for?"

"You know what for."

"Don't you ever stop thinking about...sex?" Ryo lowered his voice on the last word and practically looked over his shoulder.

"Course not. Especially now that I'm finally getting some. And you don't need to worry about the brat; he can't hear you. He's in his room with the door closed and he's probably listening to music."

Ryo's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'm confiscating his iPod." He jumped to his feet, but Dee reached out a hand to stop him.

"Please don't. Dude, think about it."

Ryo hesitated, staring at Dee. Abruptly, understanding dawned, and a light blush crept across his cheeks. Then he glared at Dee.

Dee was used to this. Often if Ryo was feeling angry or helpless about something else, he unconsciously took it out on his partner.

"Fine I'll take away his gaming stuff instead. But what about you, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Dee was wary.

"Well, I can ground Bikky and take away his toys, but what can I do to you? Don't forget that I'm still pissed off at you."

"No you're not. You forgave me, remember? You can't take back forgiveness."

"Just because I forgave you doesn't mean you should get off scot-free."

"Dude," Dee said gently, "You CAN'T really punish me unless you're prepared to resort to head games, and I don't think you are." Dee stood up and faced Ryo. "Come on, just accept my apology and stop talking about punishment." He hesitated. "If you really want me on board as a kind of parental assistant, and believe me, I want that too, then you have to start trusting me. Give me a chance, here."

Ryo scowled. "I don't like that you kept a secret from me that concerned Bikky."

"Yeah, I know and I don't blame you. I screwed up. It was a mistake to keep Bikky's fight from you. I should've been honest with you and I get that. But... do you think I would ever have let Bikky go that night if I'd thought he was in any real danger? That kid's got iron-clad street smarts and he's a damn good fighter for his age and size." He took a deep breath. "Perhaps one of these days you'll finally notice that I love that annoying brat just as much as you do." His words were simple, his tone determined. The way he was standing showed that he was bracing himself for Ryo's reaction.

Ryo was speechless. Dee's words had knocked the resentment right out of him. It meant everything to him to hear that Dee loved Bikky. He really hadn't been sure. He had known there was affection there, but Bikky had caused Dee a lot of grief over the last couple of years. He hadn't known until this moment that this was something he had needed to hear.

"You...you love him?"

"Like a little brother, like a son. Like he's a part of me."

"Dee." Ryo was moved. He felt simultaneously overjoyed and deeply relieved. "For his own sake? Not just because he's part of the package that comes with me?"

Dee nodded. "Yeah. Even when he's a snarky, disrespectful foul-mouthed little shithead. Even when he's marking up my favourite jacket or trying to plant his foot in my face." He looked at Ryo in genuine wonderment. "Haven't you ever noticed?"

"Well..." Ryo groped for words. "I knew you cared, but...I didn't know how much. You know me. You're always saying I need to have things spelled out for me..." He suddenly realized that for some reason he was standing quite close to Dee.

"I suppose I wasn't exactly making it obvious," said Dee, gallantly taking some of the blame onto himself. He caressed Ryo's face softly with the back of his knuckles and looked at him with tenderness in his eyes. "You and me and Bikky...We're a family. A family of orphans. We've been a family for a long time."

"I guess we have," whispered Ryo, who caught Dee's hand in his own and raised his lips for a kiss.

It began sweetly with a gentle touching of lips and tongues and soon turned hungry. It was Ryo who was the aggressor this time, moving his mouth almost urgently against Dee's, sending his tongue in deeper and exploring every surface inside. Dee encouraged him by moaning softly and sucking on that demanding tongue and running his own tongue underneath and over it. Ryo finally ended the kiss by gently biting Dee's lower lip and pulling back.

"Dee," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I want to go to your place, but you know I can't."

"Not even for an hour?"

"No. You know I have to stay here with Bikky. He'll be ready to talk later. He's feeling so bad in there by himself."

Dee privately doubted that, but knew there was nothing he could say as long as Ryo believed it.

"Okay," he sighed. "Can I stay for awhile then? And can I just hold you, like this?"

"Yeah," Ryo breathed. "I'd like that. I feel so...happy when I'm with you."

Dee's mouth curved in a smile against his partner's pale cheek. Those words brought him a sensation of relief. _I hope I can always make you happy, he thought. Please stay with me._

end of chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_**Chapter 10**_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: Fake

Rating: Mature or Teen because even though this is actually a Lovely Lemon, I took 95 of the sex out of it so that no one might want to ban me from this site. I would hate to be banned from this site because I get so many inspiring reviews from the readers here. (Thank you, FF readers! I love you guys!) Now if you want to read the version with the lemon, go to Adult FF dot net or go to my Live Journal site, which incidentally, also has chapter 11 up on it right now. I can't post the address here because it's not allowed, but if you email me, I'll be happy to give it to you.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dee, Ryo, Bikky, Carol, Drake, JJ, the Chief, Diana, or Berkely Rose They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. The characters of Brian Webster, Mike Abernathy and Thomas Abernathy were created solely by me and are not intended to represent anyone living or dead. Dave McDormand is the guy in the striped shirt that was playing cards with Bikky on the bus to camp back in Book 1. I just gave him a name.

Thank you Blue Simplicity. Your beta-ing is bettering my writing. I'm so grateful to you!

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_**Chapter ten**_

"It's Dork-head," said Bikky darkly, handing the phone to Ryo.

"Hello, Dee?"

"Hey, how's it going with the brat?"

"Oh, it's much better now. We've finished dinner and he's doing his homework."

"Did you guys eat the rest of that spinach?"

"Well, I did. B wouldn't touch it. If I want to get spinach into his diet, I'm going to have to hide it inside meatballs or something."

"You know I didn't mean it before, when I said that thing about how you overcooked the spinach?"

"I know," Ryo said softly.

"'Cause it really was tasty, you know."

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ liked it. Did you watch your games?"

"Oh yeah! Friggin' awesome. The Detroit/Cleveland game was really close. And somehow I got through the day without anyone telling me the score, which has got to be a first so far this year."

"Well, I'm glad you got to enjoy your basketball games, and now Ted and Drake owe us one."

"Damn right they do. Hey...Do you think you might be able to come out and play later?"

"I -- I think so, but not for the whole night." Ryo instinctively dropped his voice and turned away from Bikky, thereby missing the way the boy's eyes rolled up to the ceiling.

"Hey, I'll take whatever I can get. Want me to come get you?"

"No, I'll come by train. But you can run me back later if you like. The trains aren't fun late on a Saturday night."

"Whatever you want, my love. What time do you think you'll get here?"

Ryo looked at his watch, a small thrill running through him at having been called 'my love'. "About an hour. Say, eight-ish?"

"Okay, see you then."

As Ryo replaced the phone in its cradle, he was aware of a soft smile on his face and a dangerous tingling in his crotch area. However, he knew he was in Bikky's direct line of sight, so he didn't dare glance down to check whether the front of his pants looked as noticeably large as it suddenly felt. Instead, he fled to the kitchen to find out if his casserole pan had soaked long enough to be scrubbed.

Stretched out on the living room floor, surrounded by textbooks and binders, Bikky glowered at the TV. Ryo was going to the Perv-Man's place, no doubt for some nasty naked-time. His mind jumped away from the disturbing mental pictures produced by that thought. He was naturally jealous that Dee now occupied a much more important place in Ryo's life, but he had to admit that the doofus had put in some serious hours to get where he was now. He had been suspicious of Dee from the start, dismissing him as a player who was planning to seduce Ryo and break his heart. He had also been holding out a small hope that when push came to shove, Ryo would try to stay straight. Even when Bikky had realized that Dee's feelings were one hundred percent serious, he had still opposed the whole idea on the grounds that Dee simply wasn't good enough for Ryo. But over time, he had slowly begun to accept that there was some kind of bond between his shy foster-father and that pushy, obnoxious work partner of his. Dee clearly had it bad for Ryo, and now that Ryo had finally made up his mind to give him what he wanted, Dork-head was likely on Cloud Nine. And he had to allow that Dee had been pretty cool about letting him go out to take care of that little problem with grody Brody. He had decided that it was okay with him if his foster dad and Dee wanted to be together, as long as he didn't have to watch or hear anything mushy. And they'd better not embarrass him with anything like a PDA when his friends were around, or he'd make them regret it!

"Uh, Bikky?" Ryo's voice interrupted his reverie. "I'm gonna take a quick shower and then head over to Dee's for awhile. You got everything you need?"

"Yeah, except my friggin' freedom." He gave Ryo a sulky look.

"Well, you did that to yourself, didn't you? And I suggest you stop getting into trouble if you don't want to be grounded until Christmas." Ryo strode off to the bathroom without waiting for an answer.

Bikky's sulk changed to a secret smirk. Ryo would be gone soon and the Perv would make sure he was way too busy to even think about picking up the phone to double-check that those who were grounded were at home where they should be. Maybe he could interest Carol in a quick soda...

&&&&&&&&&

Dee opened the door with a sexy grin on his face and yanked Ryo close to him before slamming it shut and then shoving his surprised lover back against it. He pressed his lean, masculine body against Ryo's, and ran his tongue over his ear. He was wearing a loose, striped cotton shirt open low on his chest and he smelled faintly of cigarettes and cologne. Ryo closed his eyes and breathed him in. He felt Dee's mobile lips producing delicious tingling shivers on his neck and was dimly aware that his lover's other hand was turning the deadbolt behind him. When Dee's mouth moved to his own, he met him halfway and gave himself fully into the kiss, which went rapidly from tender and searching to hot and impassioned. It was almost like they were taking up where they had left off earlier. His arms went around Dee's hard body and he willed himself to show a little self-control.

After a minute, Dee stepped back, eyes full of mischief, and said, "I vote that we skip the tea and the pleasantries and go straight to bed. What do you say?"

"What kind of host are you?" asked Ryo, smiling. "You should at least make a pretense of offering me something." He took off his jacket and handed it to Dee, eyebrows raised.

"I'm offering you my smokin' hot bod on a plate. And you want it, babe, you know you do." Dee brushed a knowing hand lightly over Ryo's almost fully erect penis, which caused a little gasp.

"I---um..." stammered Ryo, not sure what to say. He didn't know quite how to feel about the way his traitorous body had been reacting to Dee at every turn recently. It offended his sense of decorum to just run straight to the bedroom, but at the same time, that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Dee, however, seemed to know this and simply grabbed his hand and pulled him through the living room, tossing Ryo's coat onto the sofa on the way. When they crossed the threshold of the bedroom, Ryo exclaimed in surprise. Candlelight glimmered from dozens of points inside the darkened room. A bottle of white wine stood chilling in a makeshift ice bucket on the nightstand table, with two long stemmed glasses waiting beside it.

"Ta-da," Dee said softly, grinning widely at the expression on Ryo's face.

"Dee! Your bedroom looks...so different."

"All for you, dude. I dusted it and everything. NOW what kind of host do you think I am?" Standing with his hands on his hips, Dee looked exceedingly pleased with himself.

"An extremely romantic one," Ryo replied with a smile. "So are you going to ravish me before or after you offer me a glass of wine?"

"Before, after, and during, since you asked," Dee advanced on him, his purpose written clearly on his face.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo slowly returned to consciousness to find himself lying in a tangle of bed sheets with Dee's sleeping head on his chest. His first thoughts were that the room smelled pleasantly of hot candle wax with a hint of vanilla, followed by a feeling of mild worry about one of the candles potentially falling and setting the room on fire. But Dee's weight in the bed was solid and comforting and Ryo smiled at the thought and feel of him. It occurred to him that they had fallen asleep in exactly the same position the last time they had made love here, which was about a month ago now.

That was the night he realized that he needed Dee. And that was also the night he had learned how very sweet surrender could be.

But he had woken up conflicted and overwhelmed, thinking, _What have I done?_ He recalled a burning need to get away, to be alone so he could think and to try to process the ramifications of what his surrender was going to entail.

Accordingly, he had disengaged himself from Dee's sleeping form and had slunk out at dawn leaving only a brief note behind. At the time, he really hadn't understood that Dee would find that insensitive. He was so used to thinking of Dee as a tough cookie with a hard outer shell that was almost inured to rejection. After all, Dee had spent so much of his life pushing hard for what he wanted and hearing the word 'no' over and over.

But now Ryo understood. Only recently had he gotten some inkling of how much Dee loved and needed him too, and how difficult all those rejections had been for him, especially in the last year or so. At one point during those first few heady nights together, Dee had woken up beside him in the wee hours, and not feeling Ryo's sleeping form beside him, cried out his name in alarm and had felt around frantically for him. Although Ryo couldn't see his face in the darkness, the relief in Dee's voice had been unmistakable when Ryo reached out for him and spoke soothingly.

"Oh," Dee had said, burrowing close to him. "I thought you'd disappeared again, like that first time..." His heart had actually been pounding against Ryo's body.

Unconsciously, Ryo's arms now tightened around Dee. _Never again,_ he thought. _You're mine now. Forever. I won't let you go. _

Ryo looked at the clock on the wall. Dee had clocks everywhere. He was so famous for being late that people were always giving him clocks as gag gifts, although it didn't seem to help. He was relieved to see that it was only 10:15. That meant they had a little more time together before he had to start thinking about heading home.

He found his thoughts going back again to that first night with Dee, in this very bed, naked and with no further barriers between them. He'd been so lost and so hungry, yet frozen with fear. He felt afterwards that he had lain there like a puppet while Dee did all the work. He wasn't used to taking such a passive role, sexually. But just saying yes had been overwhelming enough, and so he had lain in Dee's bed and let sensation wash over him. Everything Dee had done to him that night had elicited an intense response. Good God, he had liked it. Dee had been so gentle and had taken things slowly for him. It had been far better than the wet dreams and half-realized fantasies he had had about what sex with Dee might be like. Even...even the much dreaded moment of penetration had been mitigated by the love he had felt coming off Dee in waves. Dee's love for him had been practically palpable, like a third presence there with them in the darkness. It had engulfed him totally, had wrapped around him and penetrated far more deeply into his mind, heart and understanding than any physical penetration of his body could have.

And afterwards, he had been afraid all over again, but for different reasons from the ones he had walked into Dee's apartment with that night. It had taken him three weeks to sort himself out. Dee had been jubilant and expectant the first week, wary but still hopeful the second week, and a pale shadow of his former self in the third week. But everything was fine now. The right moment had finally come, and Ryo had found the courage to open his mouth and tell Dee how he felt. It was a harsh world out there, but they knew they could count on each other. They'd always had each other, but now their exchanged promises of love and commitment had given them a solid foundation to build on, and a sense that they had a future together.

Loving Dee, touching him, giving him pleasure and taking it from him was coming a little more naturally to Ryo with each passing day. So if this was happily ever after, what had happened to his confidence? Suddenly he was questioning everything. He was screwing up at work. God, only yesterday he had put an important paper in the shredder without thinking. He hoped that didn't end up coming back to haunt him. Furthermore, he now had an enemy at Internal Affairs, a circumstance that could have easily been avoided had he been feeling more himself. And why couldn't he be a better parent? Nothing with Bikky went the way it was supposed to according to the books he'd read. It seemed like every decision he made was wrong and led to a further erosion of his authority.

The only thing that seemed to be going right nowadays was his relationship with Dee. And yet, even that was a source of bafflement.

He couldn't believe that he had refused to allow himself this simple but powerful happiness for so long. Ryo was able to admit to himself that for years he had denied his feelings, crushed his desires and disguised them as something else. _I was too weak and fearful to face them,_ he told himself_. But at the same time, I thought of myself as a strong and together person._ He wondered uneasily if there were any other big life-altering issues he might be hiding from himself.

Of course the discovery that he was attracted to men, and specifically to Dee Laytner, had been an unsettling one. But it was such a relief to finally stop fighting that part of himself. He felt as if a door had opened for him, and the door led into his own heart and mind. All the things he hadn't permitted himself to see or feel for the last two and a half years were flooding his senses now. For example, he loved the way that Dee's face always lit up at the sight of him. That had been going on for years, but he had never consciously registered it until recently. And he loved just gazing at Dee, drinking in the beauty of his hair, his skin, his lean, muscular grace. From the day that he first met Dee, he had refused to see his partner as a desirable being. He recalled being aware that Dee was handsome, but he had been careful not to let the dark-haired detective's face and body affect him. It was necessary for him to be vigilant about that because the few times he had relaxed his guard, Dee had immediately sensed it and made a pass.

Ryo smiled to himself and kissed the top of Dee's silken head, a wave of affection washing over him. The other man twitched slightly but did not awaken.  
After a few minutes, as if sensing his thoughts, Dee stirred in his arms. Ryo felt him yawn noisily against his chest, and then felt those long legs stretching and flexing against his own.

"Ryo?" he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the nearest dusky nipple before turning his head to fix him with one sleepy green eye.

"Who were you expecting? JJ?" Ryo hoped his voice sounded calm and slightly amused instead of that of a man who had just been doing some serious soul-searching.

The eye widened in horror and Dee sat up in bed to glare at him. "Do NOT ruin a perfectly good romantic moment by mentioning that name!"

"Sorry. Couldn't resist. How are you feeling?"

Dee cracked his knuckles and looked thoughtful. Then he smiled.

"Alive, in love, and horny. And just a little bit hungry. What time is it?"

"Twenty to eleven," Ryo answered unnecessarily, since Dee's head had already swiveled to look at the clock.

"How much longer have I got you for?"

"Hmm...Whatever my answer is, I have a feeling it's going to get me jumped."

"Yeah, you got that right, so you might as well just accept it." Dee grinned and raised himself on one elbow so that he could give Ryo a kiss. It was slow and sensual and the affection in it chased away the lingering shadows of Ryo's uneasy thoughts about himself. He felt the slightly rough pads of Dee's confident fingertips tracing the contours of his chest and stomach with just the right amount of pressure. He gasped mid-kiss when one of his lover's hands began to pinch and tug at his nipple. It still came as a surprise to him that his nipples had turned out to be so erogenous. No one had ever paid any attention to them before; nor had he ever thought to touch them himself.

Dee chuckled at his reaction and said, "Oh he likes it _now_... So it's getting less 'embarrassing', is it?"

Ryo tried to smile back but couldn't quite manage it because of the intensely erotic sensations that were spreading outward from his nipple across his chest and sending little stabs of pleasure shooting down to his groin. Dee just watched his face for a moment while he pinched and rolled that nipple.

"Ryo...you're just so unbelievably beautiful," he breathed. Their eyes met in the flickering candlelight, Ryo's full of arousal and pleasure, Dee's full of emotion. Ryo's body began to undulate slightly under Dee's. He wanted more contact. He wanted Dee to touch his other nipple; he wanted to be able to wrap his legs around Dee. He wanted...He wanted Dee to enter him again and take him. But there was no way he could say those words out loud.

But it turned out that he didn't have to. Dee understood without words being spoken, and he ran his sure hands over his lover's body, teasing, arousing, and finally touching him in that secret place that Ryo would have been embarrassed to name.

And later after Dee had brought himself and his partner to the heights of ecstasy, he collapsed beside him with a groan. The love he felt for his partner welled up in him until he felt he would burst with the effort to contain it. There was nothing he wouldn't do for him, nothing he wouldn't give him. Overwhelmed by emotion, he shuddered, needing with every fiber of his being to hold Ryo close to his heart. But he didn't want to bother or upset his lover by lowering his sweaty body down onto Ryo's chest.

"What are you doing?" Ryo's voice sounded as unsteady as Dee felt. "Come close to me. I know you, you big ball of mush."

Dee didn't wait to be told twice. He wrapped his arms around Ryo and held him tightly, a long, happy sigh escaping him.

&&&&

"Hey," said Dee, as they rolled up to a red light at the intersection of Lumley and 15th. "I had an idea about the Bikky situation."

Ryo sighed. "Which Bikky situation?"

"His little attempt to buy drugs."

"Oh yeah, that one." A pained expression crossed his face. "What's your idea?"

"Well...I'm not sure whether he might end up trying to pull that same shit again. Maybe not. But even if he isn't the one buying it, he could easily end up at a party where people are smoking it. I wouldn't bet money on him saying no."

"Yeah, I've been worrying about that too. If he does it again, he's going to be a whole lot sneakier next time. I might not find out about it."

"Right. So I have a plan, but you may not like it."

"I'll consider anything at this point."

"Well, I've got a couple of, er, 'friends' who're doing time. One of them is for drug offenses. I gave him a call yesterday, guy by the name of Brian."

"Go on."

"Well, he's serving his sentence at The Brooklyn Correctional Facility right here in the city. They have visiting hours tomorrow. I thought we could run Bikky up there, maybe give him a first hand look at what the future might hold if he doesn't shape up."

Ryo's response was silence, so Dee said, "Or... we can just forget I said anything! Don't want to traumatize the brat..."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," said Ryo firmly. "What time are visiting hours?"

&&&&&&

"What the f-- I mean, hell? I'm supposed to be meeting the guys for a practice! Carol said she was gonna come watch."

"You can practice basketball just about anytime, Bikky. We're doing this and that's final."

"Why don't you ask Carol if she wants to come along?" Dee asked with an evil grin.

Bikky turned shocked eyes on Dee. "A girl visiting a prison for men? Are you--- Oh I get it. This was YOUR fucking idea, wasn't it?"

"Guilty as charged, twerp. But you're gonna find it so...educational." Dee's voice dripped sincerity.

"Eat shit, geezer." Bikky whirled and glared at Ryo. "I suppose you think this is gonna 'scare me straight' or something? 'Oooooh, poor little Bikky's gonna be SO scared by the bad place'. You think I've never visited a jail before? I been to Riker's Island AND the Brig to see my dad! I don't know what you think you're trying to prove."

"I think you need a reminder, and that's exactly what you're gonna get," said Ryo briskly. "Now quit whining about it and suck it up. We're going, and that's that."

"Fuck!"

"Bikky! To your room, now!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You're going to a friggin' PRISON?" hollered Dave. "That's so cool! But what about the game?"

"Ryo says no game," Bikky growled into the phone. "I gotta do this. Hey, uh, you wanna come along? It might be interesting."

"Really? I can come? Awesome! When?"

"We're leaving about 1:00 today. If you can get to my place earlier than that, you can come with us. Huh, what's that, Ryo?"

There was a pause and then Bikky added, "Ryo says if you'd like to eat lunch with us, you should be here at 12:00."

"Uhh...your dad's not still mad at me, is he?"

"What the fuck for?" Bikky dropped his voice. "He probably thinks I'm the one leading YOU astray. I can't do anything right nowadays."

"Well, if you're sure it's okay, I'll be there for lunch, and prison after. Man, this is gonna be great."

Bikky hung up the phone and turned to Ryo. "Well, he's coming," he said. "And he's stoked about it for some reason."

Ryo looked a bit surprised, and said, "Well maybe it won't be as much fun as he thinks."

&&&&

Brian Webster was a baby-faced man with bad skin. He was about 5 years younger than Dee and Ryo, a fact that Ryo was glad about. Maybe Bikky would be able to relate to him somewhat.

They sat on cheap plastic chairs in the communal visiting room around a small, laminated table. The room reeked of stale cigarette smoke and sweat.

Brian seemed pleased to have visitors. He sat back in his chair, and smoked Dee's cigarettes, while they laughed and gossiped about old times in the neighbourhood. Ryo observed that Brian was unconsciously mirroring Dee's body language. Bikky sat sullenly with his head down, periodically kicking the table leg with small but jarring thuds. Dave's head was swinging this way and that as he gaped at everyone there and took in every small detail of his surroundings.

"So Brian, how'd you end up in here?" Dee finally asked. "Last I heard, you were going straight, looking for work."

"Aw man, I was fuckin' stupid, that's what happened. I had me a job in a movie rental place, you know Vidalis up on Gates? And everything's hummin' along nicely --there was even a girl for awhile there-- and then that fuckin' Christopher comes along with an offer I can't refuse."

Bikky and Dave sneaked sidelong glances at each other.

"What happened, man?" Dee stubbed out his latest cigarette in the overflowing ashtray.

"Well, you'll forgive me if I don't go into too much detail considering where we are...and what you are, brother."

"Fair enough," said Dee.

"But if I hadn't gone and got myself caught, I could've taken my girl to the Caribbean for a week and bought myself some wheels. And if I hadn't listened to that bastard in the first place…Shit."

Brian suddenly swung his attention to Bikky and Dave.

"Hey, you kids got girlfriends?"

Dave shrugged and said, "Not me, man. Girls are trouble. Not to mention expensive. But HE does. An 'older woman'." He smirked and nudged Bikky's foot with his shoe. Bikky's only response was to scowl. He was evidently not enjoying his outing to the Brooklyn Correctional Facility as much as Dave was.

"No shit. She pretty?"

Dave started to say, "Pretty? Try friggin' gorgeous all ove--" but his sentence ended in a yell of surprise as Bikky hooked the legs of his chair out from under him and sent him crashing backwards onto the floor.

"Bikky!" Ryo was appalled.

"Sorry, Ryo, but he had it coming. Didn'tcha Dave?"

"Uh yeah, guess I did," mumbled the red-faced Dave who was being helped back up by a snickering Dee.

A guard stuck his head in through the door and said sternly, "No horseplay, people, or you'll have to leave."

Ryo apologized for the group and promised that it wouldn't happen again. After the guard left, he fixed his foster-son with an ominous glare and threatened to remove basketball privileges indefinitely if Bikky managed to get them all kicked out of a prison.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," sighed Bikky in resignation and returned his eyes to the floor.

"So, what was that you were saying, Brian, before we had a rugrat down and a guard taking an interest in us?" said Dee encouragingly.

"Oh, uh, just that I miss my girl, that's all."

"Does she come visit you?" Ryo asked.

Brian sighed. "Nah," he said. "She was really pissed at me when I got arrested. I thought she'd come around, but I heard she's with a new guy now."

"That's harsh, man," said Dave. "Hey, Biks, did you hear that? Brian lost his woman. Shi--- I mean sheesh." He glanced anxiously at Ryo, hoping his near-profanity hadn't been noted.

Bikky transferred his gaze from the floor to the ceiling.

"You people are driving me nuts," he muttered through gritted teeth.

&&&&&

On the ride home, Bikky and Ryo were quiet, but Dave had a lot to say and Dee was the only one who seemed willing to give him any kind of response.

"Hey Dee, do you think he has to wear a hair net when he works in the kitchen?"

"Oh, for sure. And an apron, too."

"Did you guys see that one guard with the scar on his face? I bet some inmate shanked him or something. Didn't Brian say they all have to get up at 6:30 a.m.? Even on weekends! I'd wanna shank someone too, if I had to get up that frig—that early."

"Yeah, it sucks, but I'm sure he's used to it by now," said Dee, blowing his smoke out the window to hide his smirk. He was thinking that inviting Dave along had been a stroke of genius on Ryo's part. The kid was bringing up all kinds of things that Bikky would have just refused to listen to if they'd come from either his foster-dad or his foster-dad's evil accomplice.

"Hey, Dee," Dave leaned forward from the back seat and dropped his voice a little.

"Yeah, Dave?"

"Do you think Brian's still straight?"

Dee quickly blew smoke out of the window again, before replying in a casual tone of voice.

"Straight how?"

"Well...uh, no offense but..." Dave's voice dropped still lower. "Sexually."

"Couldn't tell ya. It didn't exactly come up in the conversation."

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you guys don't have some kind of special 'radar' about sh-- er, stuff like that."

"Well, what do YOU think, Dave?" Dee asked innocently.

"I think a lot of guys don't have a choice about stuff like that in prison."

"Guess not," Dee agreed. "But he'll be out in a couple months. You'll be able to ask him yourself." This time he grinned, because he just couldn't help himself.

"No way, man. I ain't gonna ask him that! But everyone's sure gonna be thinking it."

Not quite as amused as Dee, Ryo wanted to ask, "And does that make him less of a man?" But then he stopped himself because even to his own ears it would have sounded defensive. If the thought of _that_ made Bikky think twice about knowingly getting within a city block of a drug deal ever again, it would be worth it.

end of chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**Chapter 11**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter 11 is rated "Mature". There's no sex in this chapter. One little kiss is as close as we get. However, the plot moves along at a pretty good clip. Please read and review. As usual, chapter 12 is up on my LJ site already. I can't give you the address now because this site doesn't permit direct links. However, if you email me, I'll be happy to send you the address.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this. Oh, but I created Thomas and Mike Abernathy, and they are not based on anyone living or dead. If your name is Abernathy, sorry about that! Jim is Bikky's friend from Book 1 in the manga. He was one of the three boys who got pre-Camp bear-beating tips from Dee.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Thank you, Blue Simplicity, for beta-ing this chapter TWICE and kind of under duress at that. I'm grateful to you.

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_**Chapter 11** _

"Hey Ryo?"

"Yeah?" Ryo glanced up over his glasses at the teenager's guarded face.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course, any time, B." Ryo closed his book and put it on his nightstand. The mattress rocked a little as Bikky sat down on the edge of the bed. The light from the bedside lamp sparked gold off the fine hairs on his arms. Bikky took a moment to compose his thoughts, and while he did, Ryo watched him. The rounded limbs of the boy's childhood were slowly disappearing, and were being replaced by a muscular angularity and the budding promise of manhood. For the first time, it hit Ryo that his happy life with Bikky wasn't going to continue indefinitely.

"Well, I got this friend."

"A good friend?"

"Nah...Not close. More like a friend of a friend."

"And?"

"Well...he's having some problems with his dad."

"You wanna tell me about it?"

"This kid is a fa-- he's gay, or 'bi' or something, I think. And his dad... His dad has a problem with that."

"Um. What kind of problem?"

"A smacking-around kind of problem. A "Get-the-hell-out-of-my-house" kind of problem."

"Bikky, that sounds pretty serious," said Ryo, sitting up straighter and leaning forward a bit. His heart was already going out toward the unknown teen whose father was actually hitting him and ordering him out of the house just because of his sexual orientation.

"Well, yeah, it is. He's in trouble, and I...well, you got any suggestions?"

"Bikky, how old is this boy?"

"Same age as me. Maybe a bit older."

"Where is he now? Is he at home?"

"He's stayin' with a friend, sort of." Bikky looked down at his hands.

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

"His dad kinda kicked him out and he doesn't have a real place to stay right now. He's just stayin' with friends, but that can't go on for long, you know. His friends have their own troubles."

"Has he contacted any child welfare agencies? Social services?"

"Uh, no, I'm pretty sure he hasn't. He's scared to."

"Scared?"

"Of his dad. He's apparently a pretty important guy."

"But I thought his dad kicked him out?"

Bikky sighed. "I don't really get it, either. It seems kinda complicated."

Ryo was looking at him steadily. "Would you like me to talk with him?"

"Yeah." Bikky nodded. "I been telling him about you. But you have to promise him that you won't immediately call his old man."

"Well, you know, his father may have to be contacted at some point, but I promise I won't do it _immediately_. Will that do?"

"Yeah, it'll have to, I guess."

"So when is this meeting likely to happen?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen him for a few days on account of being GROUNDED. If I could be temporarily, just temporarily, mind, 'ungrounded', I could go find him."

"Nice try, B. Doesn't your friend have access to a telephone?"

"If he does, I don't know the number." Bikky's eyes met Ryo's frankly. "He's moving around a fair bit. I don't know who he might be with now. It's gonna be hard tracking him down if I have to try an' do it by phone."

Ryo gave this some thought. Was the whole thing just an elaborate scheme for Bikky to get out and meet his friends? He wouldn't put it past him, especially considering how the boy had been acting lately. However, his gut told him that this time his foster son was telling the truth.

"How much time do you need?"

"Just gimme a few hours after school tomorrow. If he's not all the way over in Brooklyn or something, I can probably track him down and set up a face to face. When are you gonna be home in the next little while?"

"Dee and I are still on first shift for the next two weeks. Friday was an unusual thing because we covered for co-workers who wanted to watch basketball, remember? That means we're home around dinnertime. You wanna bring him home for dinner?"

Bikky grimaced and looked away. "I don't think he's gonna go for that right off the bat."

"Well, do you want us to meet you guys at a coffee shop, or some other neutral place before dinner?"

"'Us'?" Bikky's voice indicated a hint of disapproval. He was still pissed at Dee for that whole prison thing yesterday. He was also a little surprised by how quickly Ryo's face seemed to close this time. For so long, his foster-dad had been kind of apologetic about Dee. Now, it was...Shit. Things sure had changed.

"Yes, 'us'. Dee and I are a package, B."

Bikky didn't answer right away and Ryo waited him out. Finally, the boy shrugged and spoke. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Yeah, but why do we have to meet them in McDonalds?" complained Dee. "Couldn't we have met them in a nicer place? With better coffee?"

"Well, it was Bikky's suggestion," said Ryo. "And just when did you start getting so picky about your coffee, anyway?"

"I dunno. It's gotta be your influence. Thank God we're not eating dinner here! We're not, right?"

"Well no, no matter how loudly those french fries call to us. We're going to have something healthy at home later."

"What's for dinner, anyway?"

"I'm hoping that Bikky's friend will want to come home with us. It may be that the boy hasn't been eating properly. I'll probably make something fast, like pasta. Or maybe rice and chicken. I'll ask them what they want."

"Well, whatever you cook, I'm sure it'll be delicious, as usual. I'll wash the dishes after, if you like." Dee couldn't believe that that last sentence had just come out of his mouth. _You are so whipped, buddy_, he silently told himself.

But it had made Ryo look at him with affection, so Dee grinned happily. He adored it when Ryo looked at him like that. It made him feel ten feet tall. It made him feel loved. Then it made him feel frustrated because he couldn't pull his darling into his arms and give him a good nuzzle right there in the middle of McDonalds. That reminded him again that he wasn't happy to be in this den of fast-food iniquity, and his face clouded over.

"Why did he have to pick one with a 'Play Place'?" he grumbled.

"Oh, I don't know," said Ryo. "Don't you like watching the kids play? I do." His eyes followed a laughing little girl as she came down the blue plastic slide.

"It's not the kids I mind, it's the way their moms are watching you, like a pack of lions surrounding an oblivious...wildebeest."

Ryo laughed. "I'm a wildebeest?" he asked. "Aren't they kind of funny-looking?"

"Well, I was gonna say an oblivious 'gazelle', but then I thought a wildebeest would be more butch."

"Am I butch?" Ryo looked at Dee with interest.

"You're one tough sonofabitch, Ryo. But you're so quiet about it that people sometimes miss that about you."

Ryo gave him a shy smile. "They're checking you out, too, you know."

"Maybe I should kiss you and dash all their hopes."

Dee leaned a little closer to him and tried not to glare at a tittering pair of women near them who seemed to have Ryo in their sights. Man, there was more potential action here than at a singles' bar. He'd have to tell Ted about this place, and then get some free pizza out of him in exchange for the address.

"Dee."

"Uh-oh, here comes one of the lions."

"Dee!" Ryo shook Dee's sleeve. He was looking in the opposite direction.

"What is it, babe?" Dee's eyes flickered briefly to the pretty woman who had approached their table. He hoped she'd heard.

"Look out there. In the parking lot. That's Bikky, and -- and I think...Dee, is that Thomas Abernathy?"

"Jesus, yeah! What the fuck? He's gonna run, Ryo. This might be our only chance."

"Quick, get up and take the back door." Ryo abruptly turned toward the woman who was now standing hesitantly next to their table. "Miss," he said, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Um...yes, if you wouldn't mind," she said, smiling in relief that he had finally noticed her.

"Would you like to sit down?" Ryo stood up and offered her his seat. He quickly took Dee's empty seat so that now his back was to the room and he could no longer watch Bikky's approach, nor be seen from afar by his foster son's companion.

"Ehrm, well, sure. Thank you," she said, and looked at him a little shyly. Once seated across from him, she stared at him for a moment, then blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry to bother you like this," she began hesitantly.

"You're not bothering me at all," said Ryo, hoping that his sudden tension wasn't apparent in his face or voice. "Go on."

"W-well, you see, that's my little girl, Julie, over there, the one who keeps going down the slide."

"Yes, I saw her. She's adorable." He forced himself to smile, but even though he was feeling edgy about Thomas, it wasn't that hard. The child WAS adorable.

"I -- Oh gosh, here I am yapping away, and I haven't even introduced myself! I'm Karen, by the way." She extended her hand.

"Randy," said Ryo, shaking her hand with a smile. "You were saying?"

"Well, I'm here alone, and I need to go to the restroom for a minute and I didn't want to drag Julie out of there when she's having so much fun and all and you seem like a very nice man, Randy, and I was wondering if you would watch her just for a moment?" she said, all in a rush.

Ryo knew very well that Julie's mother had just detached herself from one of several small groups of women over by the play area, so she was by no means alone. However, he couldn't discourage her just yet because he had decided that she was going to help him keep from turning around until the Abernathy boy was too close to get away.

"Are you sure you want to trust me? I mean, how can you be sure I'm not, you know, a dangerous person?"

"Hey Ryo!" That was Bikky's voice, from the sounds of it, about a dozen feet or so behind him, slightly to the left. He held up a hand, but didn't turn his head. "Just a minute, Bikky, the lady is talking."

Behind him, Bikky frowned. This was definitely weird. Jim and Tom didn't notice anything though, and they continued moving a few steps closer to Ryo, who was sitting with some blond chick. Where the hell was Dee? Bikky looked around, but didn't see him. The blond chick had finished saying something like, "You could never be a dangerous guy," and Bikky spoke up again.

"Where's the moron?"

Ryo twisted gracefully out of his chair in one fluid motion, and looked at the three boys.

"Hi, guys," he said softly, hoping Thomas wouldn't recognize him right away until he at least had him in a handshake. Unfortunately, Thomas' eyes widened in alarm as soon as he saw Ryo's face. Uttering an expletive, he lunged toward the door. He had reckoned without Jim, who had the misfortune to be in his way, and by the time he had maneuvered around him, Ryo had him by the back of his hoodie. Ryo pivoted so that he was now between the boys and the door. In a flash, Thomas had shrugged out of his hoodie and was running toward the back door, with Ryo right behind him. _Get him Dee_, he willed silently, and sure enough Dee did. Dee was good at latching onto running kids, thanks to his years in the orphanage. Bikky, Jim, and all of the lions stared with open mouths.

By the back door, Thomas was struggling in Dee's powerful grip and yelling for help.

"This is a kidnapping! Someone please help me! I don't wanna die!" he shouted.

The lions were glaring. Little Julie who had crept out of the play area, was crying, and clinging to her mom, who also looked scared.

Ryo stepped up and took Thomas by one of his arms to back up Dee before a concerned citizen could step forward and attempt to rescue the kid.

"NYPD!" he shouted, and flashed his badge with his free hand.

"Melodramatic little bugger, ain't he?" growled Dee. "Don't worry kid, you're not gonna die, unless you're planning to eat the food here or something." Carol had made Dee watch the DVD of 'Supersize Me' recently, and it had made a big impression on him.

Ryo looked at Bikky, whose face was thunderous. _Uh-oh_, he thought.

"What the hell is up with arresting my friends? This is the second time in less than a week! He didn't do nothin'!"

"Bikky!" Ryo warned. "We're not arresting him. We just want to talk to him."

"But we ARE gonna cuff you if you don't settle down," Dee informed Thomas, who ceased struggling and hung limply in Dee's grasp.

"Let's go," Ryo said. "You too, Bikky."

"How about me?" Jim asked hopefully. Whatever happened next, he sure didn't want to miss it, and he was pretty sure that there would be food involved one way or another.

"Let him come," said Bikky sarcastically to Ryo. "Just in case you get an urge to arrest him too. He'll be right there for your arresting convenience."

"That's enough, Bikky," Ryo said firmly. "Okay, everyone, out to the car."

"Where are we going, anyway?" That was Thomas' voice.

"Someplace that's a little less of a zoo than this one," said Ryo, who briefly caught Dee's eye, but kept his face straight.

&&&&&&

"Jeez, talk about coincidence! You know we gotta call this in," Dee had muttered to his partner in the car. Ryo hoped that the boisterous dialogue in the back seat would cover those words.

"Let's just wait a bit, okay? Until after we've asked him a few questions," Ryo had replied in a quiet voice.

Now they were sitting around the kitchen table of Ryo's apartment. A big pot of spaghetti was boiling away on the stove, and Jim had been put on sauce-stirring duty.

Ryo poured coke for the boys out of a two-liter bottle. When Bikky had seen Ryo taking it out of the trunk of the car, his sugar-hungry eyes had lit up because Ryo didn't normally keep soda in the house.

"B," Ryo said. "Why don't you and Jim go to your room and get started on your homework, while Dee and I talk to Thomas?"

Thomas looked a little alarmed and quickly said, "I don't mind if they stay. They know all about me, anyway."

"Okay, if you don't mind, we're willing to stay," Bikky said, looking hard at Ryo, still feeling quite mistrustful. He had brought this boy to his foster father because he thought he would be able to help. He had never expected Ryo and Dee to be chasing his friend through McDonalds and manhandling him out of there, practically in handcuffs. "After all," he added. "We're the closest thing you got to a lawyer right now."

There was an ever so slight tightening to the set of Ryo's mouth, which no one would have noticed except Dee, Bikky, or Aunt Elena, if she had been there. Thomas didn't see it at all. After all, he had his own problems.

"So," Ryo said to Thomas. "Why did you leave home?"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably. "I've got a problem with my dad. I think Bikky musta told you something about it."

"Did he hit you?"

"Yeah, a few times. He's got a--a problem with my sexual orientation."

Dee was amused by how matter of factly Thomas said 'sexual orientation'. Bikky scowled into his coke. Dammit, if constantly being surrounded by guys who turned out to be gay wasn't just turning into the story of his life. Thank God for Carol, or his reputation would be ruined.

"How about your mom?" Ryo asked.

A little frown appeared between Thomas' eyes. "She's out a lot," he said. "She doesn't hit me or anything, but she's not like a typical mom."

"Does she stand up for you when your father hits you?"

Thomas' lips tightened. "Nah," he said. "She doesn't get involved. She says, 'Oh no not this again,' or something like that, then she goes to her room. She says we have to work it out between us. Besides, he usually saves the worst beatings for when she's not home, anyway."

"How does she feel about your, ah 'sexual orientation'?" Dee asked.

Thomas took his time answering. Bikky glanced jadedly over at Dee, expecting to see more amusement, but to his surprise, saw only compassion instead.

"She thinks it's abnormal. Disgusting. She-- she's worried about germs and diseases." Thomas took a shaky breath and burst into tears.

"Take it easy there, buddy," said Dee, patting the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, man, you want some more coke or something?" asked Bikky, clearly uncomfortable.

"Just let him cry," said Ryo.

Behind them, Jim maintained an invisible presence, and industriously stirred the sauce.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo handed the phone to Dee. "Chief wants to talk to you now. Thomas, the Chief talked to your parents and they're willing to let you stay with us for a couple of days."

"Cool!"

Dee took the phone and went into the bedroom. When he came out, Thomas, Bikky and Jim were in front of the TV squabbling over video games. Ryo was sorting spare bedding.

"Hey, guys, pause the game for a sec," Dee said.

"Screw you, dork-head," said Bikky automatically, but he did as Dee asked.

"Tom, our Chief wants to set up a meeting with your parents on Wednesday, if possible. It's just a meeting, and no one is going to force you to go home with them if you're not ready to do that. Ryo and I will be right there with you, okay? And in the meantime, you got about 48 hours breathing room. That's the best we can do at this point. You on board with this?"

"Umm..." The happy smile had disappeared from Thomas' face, and he sat with slumped shoulders, looking years older than he should. "Suppose I don't wanna go home with my parents after the meeting -- what's gonna happen to me then? Juvie Hall?"

"No, because you haven't been charged with any crime," Dee said. "You'll be going into temporary foster care, but I don't know in which of the boroughs. It may not be Manhattan. That's really all I can tell you at this point."

"I'm... Thank you for helping me like this, Detectives. I really do appreciate this, but...you don't know my dad. This is not gonna turn out to be good, I just know it. He said he was gonna send me to Juvie Hall where I'd get the crap beaten out of me, among other things."

"Oh, we know your dad," said Dee with a sidelong look at his partner. "Don't we, Ryo?"

"Yeah, we've met him already," replied Ryo, with a little warning frown in Dee's direction.

"Well, then, you know what an asshole he is! And how he's always right and everyone else is always wrong."

Ryo looked at the desperate boy sympathetically. "Yeah," he said finally. "We couldn't help noticing that he has some very strong views about right and wrong. But even though your dad's a cop, he can't send you to Juvenile Hall just because you ran away from home."

Thomas was still looking doubtful, so Bikky slung his arm around the boy's shoulders and whispered urgently to him for a moment.

Ryo cut them off by saying, "No he CAN'T go back and hide out with Karl. I'm afraid that's no longer an option because he's in custody. And his name's Eddie, anyway."

Bikky blinked at him a moment in surprise. "Huh?" he said. "Don't you cops communicate with each other? Eddie was bailed out first thing this morning."

"What?" exclaimed Ryo and Dee in unison.

"It was probably my dad," sighed Thomas. "Jeez, I hope Karl is okay."

"Thomas," said Ryo. "I think you'd better tell us what's REALLY going on."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Not far from Wilson Lloyd High School, Eddie was busy removing the deadbolt from the door of his most recent home. He was sorry to leave it, as it had been one of the few places he'd been able to live in where he had felt really secure. It was windowless, which had pros and cons, and the plumbing didn't work, which was a definite con, but the door had been made from some kind of solid old wood reinforced with a steel plate. No one could have kicked that door down in the middle of the night and caught him by surprise. With a sigh, he put the tools back into his tool kit and tossed the dismantled lock apparatus into a box in his shopping cart. It was really too bad he had to move. He had taken a room over at the Westington, a dive hotel on Hammersley. It was just a temporary measure. He never felt safe whenever he had to stay there. But this place had been made by the cops. Bikky's new dad and his partner had forced him to unlock the door that time they followed the kid. Mike knew too, of course, but then Mike wasn't one of the cops he had to worry about. Mike had come through as usual, getting him out of that holding cell he'd spent the weekend in. Even a room at the Westington would be better than that.

Mike had been waiting for him here this morning, wanting the damn cell phone. Eddie had tried to stall, of course. He owed that much to Tommy, poor kid. There had been a strange look in Mike's eyes when Eddie had tried to tell him that the cell phone had gone with the boy. It was a look that caused Eddie's finely-honed sense of danger to tingle warningly.

"You'd better give me that phone, boy, or by God, I'll lay you out," Mike had muttered, his Irish lilt coming out stronger as a result of the anger that was always so close to the surface in him. Eddie had known it was no use. But still, as he handed it over, he spoke a word for Tom.

"Come on, Mike, go easy on your kid this time. You lose your temper too easy with him. He's a good kid, you know?"

"He USED to be a good kid," Mike had corrected. "If I let up on him now, he'll descend all the way down into the very bowels of degeneracy, and I won't be having that in MY family."

Eddie had tried one more time, but Mike had cut him off. "When you've been a father for any length of time, Karl, that's when you can come and preach to me about how it's done. Until that day, I'll thank you to keep your mouth shut. Got that boy? _Mouth shut_. "

Eddie shivered as he remembered the pointed way that Mike had looked at him as he said those last two words. He knew it was a warning. Mike's eyes had been much colder than he had ever seen them before. But, hey, who did Mike think would listen to a homeless, jobless guy like him?

The sound of a human voice emitting low but anguished sobs cut across his thoughts. The noise was coming from a small form huddled in the shadows at the mouth of the alley. Eddie pushed his loaded cart in that direction. The sobbing abruptly stopped and the figure tensed and seemed to try to make itself seem even smaller.

"Who's there?" Eddie called softly, but got no reply. He moved a little closer. "Tamara? Is that you?"

She raised her tear stained face from where it had been pressed against her knees. "E-Eddie?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay, sweetie?"

"N-not really," she mumbled, and rising stiffly came toward him. He knew from the way she walked, from the sound of her voice that she was messed up pretty bad, even before he saw her.

"What happened? A trick go sideways?"

"Yeah. Didn't wanna pay. Look at me, Eddie." Her voice seemed all bruised, like her face.

The light in the alley wasn't very good, but he could make out the split and swollen lip, and the puffy eye, partially obscured by stringy dark hair.

"You should go home, Tamara. You know you can't work like this."

"Tried. But Rick threw me back out. Told me not to come home until I'd earned my quota."

"That Rick's a hard guy," Eddie sighed.

"That's a nice way of putting it." Her voice was coming out a little slurred from the damage to her mouth.

"When you gonna quit this life, Tamara?"

"When I don't need the junk no more, honey. You know how it is."

" Yeah...I do. Just wish it could be different for you."

For a moment he thought she was going to start crying again, but then she shrugged, and even made a poor attempt at a joke. "How about I just keep buying them lotto tickets instead?"

"I think for now, you'd probably best come home with me," Eddie said matter of factly. He glanced down to where her spindly legs ended in 4-inch platform heels. "Can you walk in those things?"

"Sure you wanna do that? Rick's gonna be pissed."

"Oh, Rick and I got history together. I got a couple of things on him, anyway. He always was a prick, but we mostly get along. You hungry?"

"Maybe." She tried to smile, but the attempt ended in a grimace of pain.

"Well, I got some soup here. We'll heat it up when we get to my new place, okay?" Eddie was rummaging purposefully in his shopping cart, from which he fished out a bottle of aspirin. "But I think you could use a couple of these right away, huh?'

"Thanks Eddie. You're a good guy." She clutched the aspirin to her bony chest and a fresh tear escaped and rolled down her cheek before she could stop it.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"My dad and Karl go way back. They have some kind of relationship. I think Karl helps Dad with his job. He told me he works for him."

"Why do you call him Karl while Bikky calls him Eddie?" Ryo asked.

Bikky answered. "Eddie goes by a few different names."

"Why do you think it was your dad who bailed him out of police custody?"

"He didn't _bail_ him out." Thomas' mouth twisted fractionally. "Bail involves money, right? My dad is a super cheapskate. I'm sure he just pulled some strings."

"Has he done that for Eddie before?"

"I'm pretty sure. I mean, you guys can do that kind of thing, right?"

"Not exactly," said Ryo. "It's not that easy."

"Do you know what kind of work your dad's got Eddie doing?" Dee asked.

"Nah. Both my old man AND Karl said it was better for me not to know. But Karl is scared of my dad, I know that much."

"Has your father threatened him?" Ryo put down the pile of sheets and blankets that he had for some reason been holding throughout the conversation so far.

"I think so, but I'm not sure. Dad was really pissed about a cell phone video that Karl took."

When Dee asked if Thomas knew what was on the video, the kid was silent for so long that Dee began to think he should repeat the question.

But then Ryo spoke.

"It's you, isn't it? You're in the video."

Thomas raised miserable eyes to him and whispered, "Yeah."

&&&&&&&&&

"Don't give me that crap. I want to know WHO," insisted Dee.

The duty officer shrugged. "I'm telling ya, I don't know who it was. Call came from on high that Mr. Calvetti figured prominently in an ongoing undercover investigation that would fall apart if he wasn't back out on the street in 48 hours. So we cooperated. Why the hell should I stick my neck out?"

"You said 'on high'," Ryo put in. "Who, specifically? Which office?"

The man looked back and forth from Dee to Ryo, clearly uncomfortable. "Like I said, it was all by the book. Why the hell do you guys care?" he said. "Is that druggie loser part of a case you're working on?"

"He was our bust," Dee spoke forcefully. "And I don't believe that crap about how he's key to an undercover op. If there was something like that going on in our jurisdiction, I think I would have remembered the memo."

"Come on, Lyle," said Ryo. "We just wanna talk to whoever made that call and get this straightened out. It doesn't need to turn into something big."

"Well..." Lyle hesitated, weighing his options. "You should talk to Ned Shaver up in Narcotics. He's the guy that called me."

The two detectives looked at each other, identical frowns on their faces.

"Is he 27th?" Ryo asked.

"Um, no. He's Bronx. But you didn't hear any of this from me, okay? I don't want to get caught in the middle of a pissing contest between you guys."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Voice mail again," Ryo informed Dee, and hung up. "But I didn't think leaving him a second message would do anything to promote our cool, calm and professional reputation."

"Huh? But we don't have a cool, calm and professional reputation," said Dee, reaching for his coffee.

"That's right, we don't. Largely thanks to you having a problem with the 'calm' part."

"Me?" Dee sputtered through a mouthful of coffee. He glared indignantly at Ryo, who had the grace to blush. "I can think of a few times--"

Ryo held up a hand. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not one to talk, especially since Friday. But did you have to leave Ned Shaver such an obnoxious message? If I were him, I wouldn't be in a hurry to call us back."

"Oh, I would," growled Dee. "I would fucking LOVE to respond to a message like that."

"Call me psychic, but I have a feeling that this guy's gonna drag out telephone tag with us for weeks."

"Hey, I know a sure-fire way to make the phone ring," said Dee, getting up from his desk and edging toward Ryo, whose eyes widened in alarm.

"Dee, I'm warning you-- You'd better not-- mmph!"

As Dee's mouth abruptly fastened on his, a thousand self-defence moves flashed through Ryo's mind, the result of years of Karate training, but as usual, he couldn't bring himself to employ any of them on Dee. Dee's mouth was all hard muscle and soft lips and tasted like coffee and chewing gum. Ryo couldn't imagine a woman kissing him with such power and intensity. There was really no comparison. But a moment later, he pulled back. It was dangerous to do this at work, and Dee ought to know that.

"Dee, not now. Not here. Stop."

"Aw come on. We haven't made the phone ring yet. Just give me ten more seconds."

"You always say that, and then it always turns out to be way longer than ten seconds."

Ryo tried to push Dee back, but Dee resisted and leaned down to kiss his cheek and his hair.

Suddenly they both heard a startled female voice behind them.

"Oh!" she said. "My goodness, I'm...I'm...oh my God."

"Can we--- Oh, it's you, Megan." Ryo was a bit flustered. Megan was Drake's latest girlfriend. She was a patrol officer from the 19th.

"If you're looking for that no-good guy of yours, he's starting off his day at the shooting range," said Dee easily, and then gave her a smirk. "What's the matter? Didn't your boyfriend tell you about me?"

"You too?" cried Megan. "What IS it with this precinct?" She swept out and banged the door behind her.

"Well, good morning to you too," said Dee sarcastically.

Ryo was glowering at him, and his face was bright red. "You agreed we weren't going to announce our relationship to the people at work," he snapped. "What do you wanna bet that she tells Drake, Drake talks to JJ, and the chief dissolves our partnership by lunchtime?"

"Dude, you're sweating a non-issue. What did she see? Me trying to kiss you and you trying to shove me away. That's been business as usual for the last two and a half years."

"I hope you're right," growled Ryo. "Now stay on your own side of the office for the rest of the day."

"What? Suppose I need to borrow a pencil? Or use the computer?"

"You have lots of pencils and you always complain about how much you hate this computer. Keep your hands off me AND the stuff on my desk."

"Fine, I won't touch, then." Dee held up both hands. "But you can't stop me from looking. "

Ryo, however, wasn't paying attention. He had pulled out his notebook and was flipping back through the pages. A minute later, he was dialing the phone.

"You can start working anytime now, Dee," he said, giving his partner an irritable look.

Dee pretended to sulk and reached half-heartedly for the pile of files on his desk. He picked up his coffee cup and found to his delight that it was empty. Now he had a reason to go downstairs to the break room, and perhaps come back up via the roof. He unconsciously patted his shirt pocket for the reassuring feel of his cigarettes. A man couldn't work until he'd had a good hit of caffeine and nicotine, now could he?

Picking up the stained and battered plastic Knicks mug that he used for drinking coffee or sometimes throwing at the wall whenever he was mad enough to, he turned to Ryo to ask him if he wanted coffee. Ryo, who was speaking into the phone, just shook his head, and then Dee remembered that he still hadn't replaced Ryo's broken coffee cup. A pang of guilt shot through him, and he resolved then and there to take care of it in the next 24 hours. Well, okay, 48 at the most. And in the meantime, he'd bring up some coffee for his partner in a Styrofoam cup whether he wanted it or not. He quickly left the room before Ryo could get off the phone and stop him.

When he came back, his blood pleasantly buzzing from the five-sugar coffee he'd drunk and the two cigarettes he'd smoked in rapid succession, he was all charged up and ready to turn on the charm if Ryo got snarky about his somewhat extended absence. But it turned out not to be necessary.

"Dee!" Ryo called out as his partner entered the room. "I've got interesting news."

"What's that?"

"Remember how Abernathy said he was going to get back to me with his wife's cell phone number?"

"Right. And he didn't exactly do that, did he?"

"Nope. But after a few phone calls to Cingular and Verizon and the like, I got it."

"And?"

"And when I called the number, she answered, _'Alan, darling, thanks for getting back to me so quickly!'_"

"No shit?" Dee started grinning.

"No shit. And when she realized it was me she was pretty shocked."

"Yeah, she must have been."

"And now she's quite interested in talking to us. Much more so than she was before." Ryo was grinning too.

"Let me guess. Before we next contact her husband."

"Well, she said she was actually going to reschedule a pedicure..."

"For little old no-account us?"

"Yeah. We've got a meeting at 2 pm today."

Dee hooted and they both burst out laughing.

end of chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

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**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**Chapter 12**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter 12 is rated "Mature". Once again there's no sex in this chapter. No kissing either. No one even does anything vaguely suggestive with a chocolate bar. However, a lot happens and I'm quite sure you'll enjoy it anyway. And by the way, if you enjoy it, please let me know! It would make me happy.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this. Oh, but I created Thomas and Lt. and Mrs. Abernathy, and they are not based on anyone living or dead. If your name is Abernathy, sorry about that! Ned Shaver and his partner Andrea Fowler are mine.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Thank you, Blue Simplicity, for beta-ing this chapter while in pain from a root canal. You really are Wonder Woman's younger and more pierced sister.

**A New Day **

_**Chapter 12**_

"Detective Shaver?"

"Who wants to know?" A short, muscular looking man looked up from his desk belligerently.

"I'm Detective McLean and this is my partner, Detective---"

"Laytner, right? How did I guess? I got nothin' to say to either of you, so you can just see yourselves out and let me get back to my work."

Dee's temper instantly flared up, and he said, "Look, asshole, we didn't come all the way over here to take that kind of shit from you. And you ain't the only one with work to do."

"Dee, let me talk to him," Ryo briefly laid a calming hand on Dee's arm, which felt as hard as a rock.

"If you're _his_ partner, I don't have time for you, either, McLean."

"This won't take more than a minute or two," Ryo said smoothly. He didn't like the man any more than Dee did, but he knew he had to be the calm one since Dee was already riled up. "We wanted another shot at questioning a bust we made last Thursday, a Mr. Calvetti."

"So what? Guy made bail. Your tough luck." Detective Shaver didn't even bother to look at Ryo, as he copied an address from an open file onto a small piece of paper.

"The guy not only made bail, but he had dozens of charges commuted down to almost nothing. Your name came up."

"Detective McLean, I'm working on an undercover narcotics case. Even if I wanted to give you all the fucking details, which I don't, it would be unprofessional of me, don't you think?"

Dee cut in. "I'll tell you what I fucking think. I think Eddie Calvetti has no place in your set-up, and this is just a load of shit you're participating in to cover something up."

"Fuck you!" Detective Shaver glared at them and picked up his jacket off the back of his chair. "You got dick and you know it. You're just coming in here with this over the top crap 'cause you're pissed that your bust made bail and no one told you."

"A courtesy call WOULD have been appreciated," Ryo said quickly before Dee could launch into another round of insults.

"Not to mention professional," added Dee.

"Cry me a river," said Detective Shaver contemptuously, and made for the door. He paused and looked over his shoulder. "Our lieutenant okayed his release, and since he outranks you two losers, nobody owes you anything. We got lives on the line here. You boys should just grow up." Then he was gone.

Ryo and Dee looked at each other, then both nodded almost imperceptibly. Ryo had seen what Dee had noticed right away. Underneath his bravado, Ned Shaver had been nervous, especially when Dee had said straight up that he didn't think Eddie was part of the undercover operation.

A voice came from the corner of the room. "Sorry about that, Detectives. He's been under a lot of pressure lately, so he's not his usual charming self."

They glanced over to see a lanky, morose-looking woman who unfurled herself from a chair and came over to them hand outstretched. She was easily as tall as Ryo.

"Andrea Fowler," she said. "Remember me? I'm Ned's partner now."

"Lucky you," Dee muttered, shaking her hand.

"Hi Andrea," Ryo said with a smile. "Of course we remember you. We were a long time here at the 51st. It's nice to see you again. How are you doing?"

"I've been better," she said. "How about you?"

"Well, as you know, we've been breaking in our new precinct for a couple of months now," Ryo said. "It sure is nice to have our own space again. Not that we don't feel grateful to our friends here for taking us in back when our building got blown up."

"Yeah, we got our own office this time around," Dee added, making an effort to be cheerful, even though he was still bristling with anger at Ned. "Say, how long have you been partners with Mr. Congeniality there?"

"Oh, not that long. My last partner took early retirement and left the state a few months back. Right about that time, Ned's partner got shot, and the lieutenant put us together."

She looked so glum that Ryo was moved to say, "It's not working out?"

"Well, I think it could work if BOTH parties were willing to try a little."

"Sometimes these things take time," said Dee. "I had a partner once who I coulda sworn hated me just for breathing. But he saved my life when the chips were down."

"Sounds like you at least went out in the field together," she observed.

"Don't you?" asked Ryo.

"Nah," she said. "He's not too forthcoming with information. He's always saying it's better if I don't do too much on certain of his cases. But I didn't become a detective just to push papers around and do phone duty for my macho partner."

"Maybe he's still upset about his last partner getting shot," Ryo suggested.

"Maybe," she agreed.

"Hey, does the name 'Eddie Calvetti' ring a bell with you?" Dee asked suddenly.

"Never heard of him."

"Apparently he figures big in one of your cases."

"Well, he could be, but like I said, my partner hasn't been showing me his cards."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Ryo asked.

"You saw what he's like," she said. "He's a little nicer to me than he was to you, though. But only a little."

"Say, Andrea," said Dee in a velvet voice as he belatedly turned on the charm. "If by chance you learn anything about this Eddie Calvetti guy, we sure would appreciate a call on the quiet."

"Detective Laytner, just go back to your usual smartass self. That smooth gigolo act isn't going to work on me," said Andrea briskly, but her tone was mock-severe.

"No, huh? 'Cause being a smartass doesn't usually work for me, either."

"Andrea, we don't want you to betray your partner, and we don't want to interfere in your division's work. All we want is one more chance to question the guy if you guys happen to hear from him." Ryo was simultaneously earnest and professional.

Dee gazed at him from under his lashes thinking how irresistible he looked. Apparently, Andrea thought so too because she patted Ryo's cheek and smiled.

"You always were a sweetheart, Randy. A lot of us were sorry to see you go. I'll keep my ears open, but just so we're clear, I'm not promising anything."

"That's good enough for me," said Ryo smiling.

"Us," corrected Dee, leaning his forearm heavily on Ryo's shoulder and offering his right hand to Andrea. "Nice running into you, hon. And call me 'Dee' next time, all right?"

"Sure, as long as you don't call me 'hon'," retorted Andrea. "I've got enough patronizing males to deal with right here in this very office."

"You got it, toots," said Dee with a wink that earned him an annoyed look.

Andrea and Ryo shook hands and he gave her his card. "Say hello to Rob from me," he said, and he and Dee left.

"Who the hell is Rob?" asked Dee as they headed back through the still-familiar hallways of the Bronx Precinct.

"Her husband," said Ryo, slightly exasperated. "We sat next to them at the Christmas party, don't you remember?"

Dee looked thoughtful. "Mmm...Was that the chubby guy with the gold tooth?"

"No! That guy was one of the Bronx sketch artists. Rob was the guy with the moustache and the Burberry suit. What the hell kind of detective are you if you can't remember this stuff?"

"I'm the kind of detective who doesn't clutter up his brain with unnecessary crap about people I'm probably never going to see again," retorted Dee. "I need that brain space for important stuff like basketball scores and which bars have wings specials on which nights, and where the hell I put the TV guide."

He actually did remember the Burberry suit, though. Just not the man. Dee always noticed clothes.

"You're incorrigible." Ryo tried not to smile. There was nothing to smile about, after all. Just when they had new information to question Eddie about, he was nowhere to be found and the only person who might have a clue to his whereabouts was refusing to talk to them. Their clever plan to circumvent days or weeks of telephone tag by spontaneously driving over to visit Detective Shaver in person had not exactly been a success. He sighed.

"Yeah," said Dee, and sighed too as though he knew what his partner was thinking. "Maybe we'll catch a break in the next few days."

Ryo looked at him and nodded, enjoying the feeling of being on the same wavelength. It had always been one of the strengths of their working relationship. "Well, we might as well go back to the station and review the Lydgate evidence. I want to go over a couple of things with the lab, anyway. I have a feeling the chief is going to demand some progress on that at some point today. Especially now that we've found Thomas."

&&&&&&&&&

"Aha! Laytner, you bastard! So it's YOU who's been drinking my chocolate milk!" Ted snatched the carton from Dee's hand.

"Huh? It was yours?"

Ryo, who was watching from across the room, recognized Dee's expression all too well: fake innocence and surprise. It was really quite convincing.

Just then JJ appeared at Ted's elbow and whisked the milk back out of his hand.

"Look in the fridge, Ted," JJ admonished him. "Your chocolate milk is still there. I'm the one who bought this for Dee. Here you go, Dee-Sempai."

"Oh," said Ted, looking in the fridge. "Oh yeah, there's my milk. Sorry about that, Dee."

"Don't sweat it, dude. Honest mistake."

"Dee-Sempai, how did you know this milk was for you? I was going to give it to you at lunchtime, which is now, I guess." JJ checked his watch.

"Huh? Oh...uh, Drake told me."

Drake looked up quickly from his newspaper with a slightly alarmed look.

Dee narrowed his eyes warningly at him. "Right, Drake?"

"Oh...mmm...uh...yeah."

"Well how did YOU know, Drake? I'm sure I didn't tell you."

"Who the hell else would it be for, but the great 'Dee-Sempai'?"

"Drakey!" JJ was delighted. "Are you jealous? Do you like chocolate milk too? Shall I bring you one tomorrow?"

"No, it's okay. Just forget it."

"I'd be happy to bring chocolate milk or any kind of drink for my helpful, dependable partner."

Drake hunched his shoulders a bit and glowered back into his paper. "I said, 'Forget it', JJ. I don't even LIKE milk..."

"Drake, man, are you sick?" asked Ted.

"Yeah, I never heard you turn down anything free before," said Dee.

"Drake, have you eaten?" asked Ryo. "Would you like some of my--"

"Just back off, everyone, OK?" Drake snapped. "I'm the same old Drake you've always known. The same old Drake who has been lactose-intolerant all these years, not that ANYONE would ever notice or remember! Nor have I ever been seen eating chocolate, because I'm really not crazy about the stuff, but NEVER MIND!"

Drake stomped out of the break room, leaving four open-mouthed members of the CI Division behind him.

"Well, I guess it must be the wrong time of the month for him, or something,'" muttered Dee.

"'Never been seen eating chocolate,' my ass!" Ted snorted.

JJ wheeled on Dee and Ted. "Don't you go saying that stuff about my partner!" he yelled. "He's fine! He's just upset because nobody-- nobody notices how hard he works."

There was a slight break to JJ's voice on those last three words. He gave Dee, Ted and Ryo a parting glare, and rushed out of the room after Drake.

An uncomfortable silence hovered for a moment or two after he had gone, and then Dee glanced at Ted. "Ten bucks says Megan broke up with him."

"You're on, man. But you're gonna lose. Drake doesn't usually get that upset over chicks anymore. Lord knows he's been dumped often enough."

"Whatever." Dee smirked and turned his attention toward Ryo's food.

"Can I have whatever you were going to offer to Drake?" he asked, then picked up a piece of something green from Ryo's plate and popped it into his mouth.

"Dee!" Ryo exclaimed, but his face softened a moment later when Dee said, "I can't believe that was a piece of broccoli I just ate. How do you make even broccoli taste so good?"

Ryo could not resist the avid look that Dee directed towards his plate. He could never bear to see anyone hungry. He was also ever on the alert for opportunities to get healthy but unpopular vegetables like broccoli into Bikky, and that had kind of extended to Dee as well. Not that it was anywhere near the same battle with Dee that it was with Bikky. Even though Dee didn't enjoy all the members of the vegetable family, he was usually willing to eat anything that someone else had cooked for him.

"Oh, go on," Ryo said. "Have a bit more. You know you're going to do it anyway." He reached into his lunch bag and produced an extra plastic fork, which he handed to Dee.

"Thanks, partner!" said Dee. "You're the best."

"Yeah, you're a damn lucky bastard, Dee," muttered Ted resentfully, pouring himself a mug of chocolate milk.

"Hey, you just make sure you don't go drinking MY milk by mistake there, dude," Dee threw over his shoulder. "Can I help it if everybody loves me?" He winked at Ryo.

&&&&&&&&&

JJ felt terrible. His partner was upset and it was all his fault. He knew that whenever they divided their duties, he was guilty of frequently leaving all the dull work to Drake while taking the more interesting assignments for himself. He also knew that he bossed Drake around a lot more than he ought to, especially since Drake had more seniority than he did. He cursed himself for going overboard recently. He really should have treated his partner with more consideration. Good old Drake wasn't a complainer, unlike himself. He had complacently believed that Drake didn't mind. This was the first time Drake had ever blown up like that. JJ couldn't relax until he knew that everything was all right between them.

And now he couldn't find Drake anywhere. JJ tried the CI room, the roof, the shooting range and the lab. He called his partner on his cell phone but only got voice mail. He even called down to the front desk to see if Drake had signed out, but he hadn't. Finally in desperation, he had Drake paged.

A few minutes later, the phone on his desk rang with the single long beep that told him it was an internal call.

Even in the midst of his worry, JJ was still professional.

"Detective Adams," he said calmly into the phone he had snatched up, thinking _Please be Drake, please be Drake._

"JJ, it's me. What are you doing paging me like that? You know I wouldn't leave without telling you."

"Drake! I'm sorry I paged you, but I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you and I was so worried after the way you left the lunchroom...I really need to talk to you Drake, ASAP."

"Look, I won't be long. I'm in the commissioner's office right now with Diana. As soon as we're done, I'll come back upstairs. Can you handle things until then?"

"Er...Yes! No problem, take as long as you need. I...er...didn't know the commissioner was back." Diana. Drake was with Diana. JJ didn't like that woman. She was one of the few people he feared.

"He isn't. Our little break from his charming presence continues until Friday. Diana has just commandeered his office until she concludes her business here."

"Her business isn't with US, I hope," ventured JJ.

"No, no, nothing like that. Look, we'll talk about it when I get back upstairs, okay?"

JJ heard Diana's voice speaking loudly in the background. She was saying, "Don't worry JJ, I don't have any special little jobs for you this time!" Then she emitted that loud, raucous laugh of hers that always grated on JJ's nerves. He knew she was referring to her second most recent visit to New York City, when she had ended up ordering him to squeeze himself into the rat-infested crawl space of a house to look for a dead body that she had reason to believe was there. Unfortunately for JJ, she had been right about the body. His Prada shirt had been ruined. The memory still made him seethe.

When JJ didn't offer any response to what Diana had called out, Drake said, "Uh...He says he was just happy to help."

He was obviously addressing Diana, who just cackled again and called out, "Like hell he does, but I love him anyway."

"Uh JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Hold down the fort partner. I'll be back in a few."

"Sure, Drake-Sempai." He gritted his teeth as he hung up the phone. He hoped Drake would forgive him. At least his partner's voice sounded normal now. Even if it was an act he was putting on for Diana's benefit, it was still a good sign.

&&&&&&&&&&

Mrs. Abernathy, perfectly coiffed and manicured, sat across from Detective McLean in a busy upscale coffee shop in the Midtown area. Dee appeared and set down a mug of hot tea in front of her, which she viewed without enthusiasm. Next Dee put a tall cardboard cup of coffee in front of Ryo and said, "If that tastes sweet bro, it means you've got mine."

Ryo took a sip and winced. "Yep, it's yours. Trade you."

They switched coffees while Mrs. Abernathy waited quietly.

"Mrs. Abernathy," Ryo began. "Since we have found your son and I believe that there's a meeting set tomorrow for you and your husband to see Thomas again in our lieutenant's office, I'm just wondering why you were so insistent on having this meeting with us by yourself, today."

"Thank you, Detectives, for making time for me in your no doubt busy schedule. I just wanted to have a word with you privately before the big meeting tomorrow."

"What's on your mind?"

"First of all, how is Thomas?"

Ryo grinned at her, relieved. He liked her better for asking and had been afraid that she wouldn't. Poor Thomas.

"Doing surprisingly well, considering what he's been through. But he can tell you about himself tomorrow."

"Ah, tomorrow." She took a tentative sip of her tea and stared at it in distaste.

"Something wrong with the tea?" asked Dee.

"No, no, I'm sorry. It's perfectly adequate for American coffee-shop tea. We Brits are very particular about our tea, you know."

"About tomorrow," Ryo said. "What were you going to say?"

"Well, you see, I'm not going to be at the meeting. It'll just be my husband, Thomas, Warren and you fellows."

"Well, I certainly don't mind keeping Thomas for another couple of days if you need to reschedule," Ryo offered, but he had a sinking feeling about what was coming next. "Thomas seems to be fine on the couch."

Mrs. Abernathy took a deep breath. "There's no point in my attending any meetings to determine Thomas' future, because I'm afraid I will be leaving my husband quite soon, under circumstances that will most likely enrage him. And Thomas will certainly stay with him. They'll be able to comfort each other. Despite the change in my feelings for my husband, I wouldn't like him to lose his entire family all at the same time."

Ryo looked at her in dismay. "But--But Thomas is your son. Don't you want him?"

She shook her head. "He's not my son. He's not even Mike's son. He's Mike's nephew. My son is here." She patted her belly, and for the first time Ryo noticed that it was a little more rounded than it should be, considering the size of her frame.

"Where are the boy's parents?" Dee asked.

"Dead and buried back in Ireland. Mike brought Thomas over to America shortly after we were first married, despite the fact that other relatives were willing to take him." A fleeting expression of annoyance intermingled with sadness passed over her face. "I learned later that it was because he knew he would never be able to father children of his own. I wish he had seen fit to tell me that _before_ I married him."

Ryo looked away. Another orphan. And this one's mother didn't want him. He was almost afraid to look at Dee. "Does Thomas know that you're not his real parents?" he asked.

"No," she said. "He was just a toddler. He doesn't remember anything. His parents died separately under unsavoury circumstances. Mike thought it better not to tell him any of that."

"So, why are you telling us this now?" Dee felt bad for Thomas, but he had a sense that something more was coming.

"Two reasons, gentlemen. First of all, my husband is unaware of the fact that I will shortly be leaving him, and I would prefer him not to know until I am safely gone. Secondly, despite the lack of closeness between Thomas and myself, I still have some concern for him. If there are plans afoot for him to go into foster care, I would like to put forth the notion that I think it would be better for him to stay with his father, that is, my husband, for the time being."

"Why do you think he might be going into foster care?" asked Dee carefully.

She looked away. "Of course I don't know what he has told you, but I'm sure there have been exaggerations...hints of mistreatment."

"We have a 4 pm doctor's appointment for him today. Mrs. Abernathy, we have reason to believe that there might possibly still be marks on his body from a beating."

She was silent, but appeared to be thinking. Dee knew she was wondering whom Thomas might have received a beating from. And she might also be considering whether such marks might still be visible _if_ he had received that beating at home. When her eyes flickered up and to the right, a sure sign of a person trying to remember something, he thought she was probably counting the days that Thomas had been gone and wondering if the bruises would still be there. Surely she must be aware of her husband's views. But, maybe not. Abruptly, he decided to enlighten her.

"The kid says his father beats him when you're not home."

This shook her composure. "What? But that can't be. Mike lives for that boy."

"Perhaps he thinks that's the best way to make sure the kid doesn't turn out gay."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as all that," she said. "And hopefully Thomas is just going through a phase. I understand it happens to teens sometimes that they get confused about their sexuality and believe they're..._homosexual_ for a time."

Dee didn't care for the way she had said 'homosexual', with dismay and disgust. He was afraid to look at Ryo. He hoped that hadn't upset him. He thought it best to conclude the meeting.

"Mrs. Abernathy, we can certainly accommodate you by not mentioning your personal plans to your husband. We wouldn't have, in any case. But I think you should know that we don't have much input as to whether the kid goes into foster care or stays with his father. It really all comes down to what Thomas tells the Child Welfare Authorities."

"Yes, I understand that, Detective," she said. "But I thought...I hoped that since you two seem to have developed such a friendly relationship with him, you might talk to him...you might explain..." She trailed off. "I just think that both of them would be better off with each other. And..." she looked directly at Ryo. "I'm sure my husband would be grateful for your support."

"What? Did he say that?" Dee asked with a sudden edge to his voice.

"No, he didn't. But he was very agitated the other night about the pair of you. Especially you, Detective McLean. I don't know what you did to upset him, but believe me when I tell you that it would be better for anyone not to have Mike as an enemy."

Both detectives stared at her.

"I thought you might appreciate a warning," she said softly.

&&&&&&&

end of chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 13 _

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: Chapter 13 is rated "Mature". No sex and no kissing but it's a pretty fun chapter. Please read and review!

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are searching for a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this. Oh, but I created Thomas Abernathy, and he is not based on anyone living or dead. Cecile is from Book 2 of the manga series.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Beta: Blue Simplicity. Thank you Blue.

&&&&&&&&&&

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 13 _

When Drake returned to the CI room, he was surprised to find himself suddenly staggering backward under the onslaught of a small, wiry form that launched itself at him wailing, "Drake!"

Drake sighed and gently disengaged JJ's arms from around his neck. "It's okay, buddy. I'm all right now. I'm sorry I lost my cool back there."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about! It's me who should be sorry!" JJ turned tearful eyes up toward Drake's face.

At that moment Ted, whose desk was nearest the door where they were standing, put his hand over the mouthpiece of his phone and said, "Hey would you guys mind? Geez!"

"Come on JJ. Let's take a walk."

JJ could barely contain himself. Words of apology and remorse continued to pour out of him all the way down to the records room. Drake just let him talk himself out. He knew from experience that when JJ was all worked up emotionally for whatever reason, it was best just to listen.

Finally when he thought he might be able to get a word in edgewise, he said, "JJ, dude, don't beat yourself up about this. I'm not upset with YOU. It doesn't bother me when you leave the office sometimes and roam around the building looking for Dee. I don't mind if you don't always wanna do the dull stuff. It's easier for me to sit at a desk in one spot for a long time than it is for a hyper guy like you. I get that, and it not a problem for me.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides, you're much better than me at remembering details and keeping us on track with our cases. I'm really glad to have you as my partner."

"Oh Drake!" JJ flung himself on his partner again. "I'm so relieved. I thought you were mad at me. I thought you were going to request a new partner!"

"Come on now," said Drake soothingly and gave JJ's back an awkward pat, hoping the kid would let go soon. He looked around anxiously to see if anyone had noticed. Damn, there was Liz from the lab smirking at him. He sighed in resignation because he knew what she was thinking; Megan had pointed it out to him this morning. But there was no way that JJ could change the way he was. And he wouldn't hurt him for the world.

He felt much better after talking to Diana. He knew that when she wanted to she could be a bitch on a stick because he had seen her behaving that way to Dee, who probably deserved it, and even to her own men at times. But she had always been nice to him. She was loyal in her way, and surprisingly insightful about affairs of the heart.

Drake had really been knocked sideways by Megan's accusations this morning. He couldn't believe she actually thought he was gay! Just because he'd been too tired for sex the last couple of times she'd come on to him. Didn't that happen to everyone sometimes? Obviously the patrol units in her division weren't working hard enough if she couldn't understand that. But it did almost make sense that she thought he was somehow involved with JJ. The little guy was so affectionate, always pouncing on people and hugging them. And he had a flirtatious way about him. When Megan had said, "He talks to you like he's your girlfriend or something! And you're like 'Yes, dear.' How the hell do you think that looks?" Drake felt that was unfair. He had never called JJ 'dear'. But then she started going on about Dee and Ryo too. Drake had been surprised to learn that it was general knowledge amongst the females of several surrounding precincts that the entire Detective division under Lieutenant Smith of the 27th was considered to be gay. _No wonder none of us can get a date nowadays_, he thought. He wondered how Ted and Ryo would feel if they knew about the rumours.

Diana had asked him if JJ had any idea that he was the cause of Drake's latest romantic break-up.

"No," he had replied. "And I'm not going to tell him either. It would just make him feel bad, and he's usually too quick to blame himself for stuff anyhow. I don't have the heart to tell him."

Diana had gone on to say that she didn't think that Megan had a good enough reason for breaking up with him anyway. It wasn't fair to end a relationship on the basis of gossip alone, and without any kind of chat first. At that, Drake had blushed and Diana had suddenly looked interested.

"Oh so there WAS a chat then?"

Drake had looked down, embarrassed.

"And you couldn't convince her you were one hundred percent straight?"

Silence.

"Drake, ARE you one hundred percent straight?"

At that point Drake had finally looked up and replied with a query of his own. "Is anyone?"

"Good question," she said thoughtfully. "Anyway, just make sure you're not fishing from the NYPD pier when you catch your next girlfriend."

"IF I can find another girlfriend after this..." He looked at her dejectedly.

"What? A looker like you? Get outta here. You'll have another one before the end of the week. I'm counting on it. I'm sure I could introduce you to a couple of girls I know."

Yes, he felt much better now. Diana had shored up his battered confidence for him. Mentally, he blew her a kiss. It was too bad JJ didn't like her as much as he did.

"Come on, dude," he said to his partner as they arrived at the door of the records room. "Let's get in there and do some research."

"You got it, partner! And I'LL do the boring stuff this time, okay?" JJ sounded much more cheerful too. The storm had blown over at least for now.

&&&&&&&&&&&

When Detectives Laytner and Mclean returned from their meeting with Mrs. Abernathy, there was a message waiting for them that Andrea Fowler had called and would like to be called back.

"I think _I_ should call her," said Ryo, taking the paper out of Dee's hand.

"Oh, absolutely. You're the one she's got a crush on."

"No, I'm the one who doesn't call her 'hon' and 'toots'. Let's find out if she's got anything for us."

"If so, that's really fast. Okay, fingers crossed. Go get 'er, dude."

"Hey, Andrea, we got your message. How are you doing?"

"Oh not so good, Randy. Don't ask. I'm about ready to throw that man out the window."

"Sorry to hear that. What's he done now?"

"Oh, he's just given me a stack of his dead files and ordered me to sort through them! Like I'm his freaking secretary or something. Anyway, enough about my troubles. I got something for you, but you heard it on the street, not from me. Got that?"

"Absolutely. Hit me."

"He's got a meeting with your Mr. Calvetti tomorrow morning at 9 am. Burger King on Turner. Try not to let him see you."

"Don't worry, he won't. Hey Andrea, thanks a bunch. We totally owe you one for this."

"Yeah, and I just might collect on that someday, if I ever get out of this office. See ya."

Ryo said goodbye and turned to Dee, grinning. "The universe has thrown us a bone," he informed him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

"THIS is dinner? Are we all suddenly on a diet or something?" Dee indignantly indicated the big bowl of green salad with chopped up chicken breast that was sitting on the kitchen table.

"No, silly," said Carol. "That's just a light snack so that Bikky's not weighed down by a heavy dinner when he jumps at the hoop. We're all gonna have a real dinner together after the game."

"Oh, just because Monkey-boy's got a game, we ALL gotta starve?"

"Come on kids, eat up," said Ryo. "That includes you, Dee. That's all there is until 8 pm."

Bikky, Thomas and Carol all shouldered Dee out of the way and headed for the food.

"Hey!" Dee protested. "You bunch of starving animals. Yo, Twerp! Quit stealing all the croutons! They're gonna weigh you down."

Ryo put a jug of milk and some glasses on the table. "Dee, stop hogging the dressing. Give it to Carol if she wants it. Slow down guys, you're going to get indigestion. We've got lots of time. We don't have to leave for at least half an hour." He didn't understand why mealtimes had to be such a free for all, but he conceded that it was mainly Dee and Bikky. Carol and Thomas were relatively well behaved.

It did his heart good to see Thomas eating. He could almost swear that the little guy had put on a couple of pounds in the last 24 hours, and that was definitely a good thing. He watched Thomas surreptitiously, noting his fine-boned frame and the way he had tried to groom himself to look good for their outing tonight, even borrowing some of the hair mousse that Dee kept in the bathroom cabinet. None of Bikky's clothes would fit him, so he had been deeply grateful to Ryo for laundering his clothes for him last night. How could anyone want to deliberately hurt such a small boy? It was incomprehensible to Ryo. He wanted to talk to Dee about the results of Thomas' trip to see the doctor earlier, but he hadn't had the opportunity.

Before long everyone was piling into Dee's car for the drive to Tremayne Junior High where tonight's basketball tournament was due to take place. Bikky was psyched up about the opportunity to trounce the Tremayne Tigers on their home ground.

"They think they're so friggin' awesome. Just because they beat us by one point last time. One lousy point! Tonight is gonna be payback time, just you guys watch!"

"Go Wolves!" said Carol enthusiastically.

"This is great," Thomas said to her. "I've never seen Bikky play before, but everyone says he's an amazing player."

"Bikky's the star player for the team." Carol said. "He's not the tallest guy on the team, but he's always where the ball is. And no one's better at three-point shots and boxing out."

"Wow," sighed Thomas. He had no idea what she was talking about, but it sounded cool. "I wish I was good at a sport."

"Hey, aren't you a runner? Eddie said you were on the team at your school."

"Yeah, I was for awhile," said Thomas, but he sounded so down that Dee changed the subject for him.

"Hey brat, try not to fall on your midget ass in front of Carol, okay?"

"Stuff a sock in it, Moron! Like that's ever gonna happen."

&&&&&&&&&&

The game was in the third quarter and the Wolves were up by two points. It was a typical school gymnasium with terrible acoustics. The air was thick with shouts from the coaches, the whistles of the referees and the respective taunts and cries of excitement from the fans of both teams. Thomas sat on Ryo's right, and Carol sat between Ryo and Dee. Carol was alternately cheering madly for the Wolves and fuming about the fact that Cecile was one of the cheerleaders. She didn't like the adoring way that Cecile looked at Bikky.

"Why didn't he tell me she joined the cheerleader squad? She wasn't there for the last game," she grumbled. "I bet she-- YAY BIKKY! Go! Go! DO IT!--I bet she joined just so she could suck up to him. And prance around in that little skirt in front of him. I mean look at her."

"Is she the cute one with the red hair?" Dee asked.

"Cute? You think she's CUTE? Don't you have eyes?"

"Well, they're all cute to an old man like me. But not as cute as you, Princess."

"Okay, you have redeemed---STOP HIM! WHOOOO! Awwww..."

"Whoa, she's really into it," Thomas whispered to Ryo, who had kindly been explaining the rules and the plays. "Are they tied now?" he added.

"Yep," said Ryo. "The Tigers just got two points for that basket. Now it's going to get interesting. Look at Bikky. He's not going to stand for that."

They watched as Bikky ran up and down the court, maneuvering around bigger players and hip checking them out of his way. Some yelled threats at him, but he just laughed and taunted them back, all without breaking his stride.

Thomas sighed. "I wish I could be like Bikky. He doesn't take shit from anyone. If I could be strong and confident like that, I wouldn't have such a messed-up life."

"Well, what's the main thing that's stopping you from being strong and confident?"

"Not being able to fight mostly. I have to eat a lot of shit because of it."

"Have you been getting into fights at school?"

"Only when I can't make a run for it. And I always lose. But not Bikky. You know Bikky's a good fighter, right?"

"Oh yeah," said Ryo. "In fact he's grounded for that right now. I'm sure he told you."

"Yeah, he did. And I was there, you know. It was a totally awesome fight."

"You were there?"

"Yeah, with Karl. So were a lot of guys. Karl made a hundred bucks on that one."

"Huh? You mean Bikky's fighting for money?"

"No! Sorry. Some of the other guys bet, but Bikky doesn't like it. No, Bikky fights for different reasons."

"Let me guess. 'Respect'."

"Yeah, and sometimes he fights for someone else. Or someone's honour."

"Oh, you mean like Carol's honour?" Despite himself, Ryo was fascinated. Bikky would never have told him these details.

"Yeah, but he hasn't had to fight for her for a long time. All the guys for miles around know not to dis her. This time it was for you."

"For...me?"

"Yeah, didn't he tell you?"

Ryo was shocked, but he quickly hid it because he wanted to hear more and he was afraid that if he answered 'no' to that question, Thomas would realize he had said too much and stop giving him information. What he was getting from Thomas was a rare glimpse into a part of Bikky's life he never had been privy to.

"Um, well, I guess I didn't give him a chance," he temporized. "I just started yelling and then I grounded him and sent him to his room."

"Oh, well, I'm sure you wouldn't have done that if you had realized he was only defending you," said Thomas innocently. To him, the thought of having someone willing to fight for and defend a person they cared about seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world. He wished he had someone like that in his own life.

"What happened?" Ryo asked, equally innocently.

Carol was too busy glaring daggers at Cecile to notice what they were talking about, but Dee's innate sense of trouble had alerted him that all was suddenly not quite right with Ryo, and he was now eavesdropping carefully without appearing to take his eyes from the game.

"Well, this guy, Aaron Brody, was saying bad stuff about you at school. You know, about your sexual orientation. Bikky basically told him to get stuffed, but Brody wouldn't shut up. And his friends started saying the same things. They said things like my mom sometimes says, like how it's sick and wrong and has lots of germs, and how you were going to go to hell and Bikky too for living with you. But Bikky beat the crap out of Brody and fixed everything! No one says any of that garbage now. Man, I wish I could do that."

"Really," said Ryo faintly. "I had no idea."

"Well, now that you know, maybe you could cut Bikky some slack and maybe let him go out with the guys sometimes, even though he's supposed to be grounded." There was a pause, during which Thomas glanced shyly at Ryo. He must have noticed that Ryo was looking a bit perturbed because he quickly tried to make amends. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're his dad, and it's all up to you."

"I'll...uh...think about it, okay?"

At that moment, the Wolves scored another goal, and the fans around them erupted in cheers. But not Ryo or Dee however. Ryo's face was hot and he was looking down at his shoes, quite distressed, and fighting to get himself back under control. Dee was watching Ryo, and his face, in stark contrast to Ryo's, had gone pale. Ryo obviously hadn't been expecting this one. _Goddammit_, Dee thought_. This is why those kids at the bus station were looking at us funny the day we picked him up from camp._

In the car on the way home, Ryo and Dee barely spoke, but it wasn't especially noticeable with the way the three teens in the back seat were carrying on. Bikky was jubilant that his team had put the Tigers in their place. Carol was pleased that Bikky had said "Who?" with a look of genuine incomprehension on his face when she had demanded to know what he thought of Cecile's cheerleading abilities. Thomas was just happy to be associated with the star player of a winning team and his beautiful girlfriend.

"Wolves! Go Wolves! Got the Tigers on the run!" yelled Thomas. It was the rallying cry du jour of the Wilson Lloyd Junior High cheerleaders.

"Wolves! Go Wolves! Our team is number one!" Bikky and Carol yelled back in unison.

"High five!" Bikky stuck his hand between the driver's and passenger seats of the car, and Ryo and Dee both gave his palm a slap.

"Yay Wolves. You killed 'em, brat."

"Yeah, good job, B."

"You guys don't sound very happy," Bikky complained.

"Sorry," said Ryo. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Me, too," said Dee.

"Ohhh, you old people!" Carol teased and resumed the slogan. "Wolves! Go Wolves!" and Bikky and Thomas happily joined in.

When Ryo miraculously found a parking spot around the corner from his apartment building, Dee came around to the driver's side of the car to get the keys from him. Ryo seemed distracted, and although Dee wanted more than anything to kiss him goodbye and give him a hug, he didn't dare do it right there on the busy sidewalk and in front of the kids.

"Well, I'll just be going," he said.

"What? You're not staying for dinner?" asked Bikky incredulously. "Are you sick or something? I thought eating us out of house and home was your primary job in life."

"No, just not hungry. I guess that chicken salad was enough after all."

"Well, I should think so, since you ate half of it all by yourself," accused Carol.

"Dee? Are you going home?" Ryo's brain was definitely still in low gear, ever since he had received that disturbing piece of information from Thomas.

"Yeah. I think we could all use an early night. I'll see you tomorrow, dude." As he said those words, he was actually hoping that Ryo would override him, would insist that he stay.

But Ryo didn't. He just nodded vaguely and said, "Guess you're right. See you at work, okay?"

Then he turned away and shushed the kids who were trying to start the Wolves chant again right there on the street. Dee's shoulders slumped a little, and then there was nothing left for him to do but get into the car and watch Ryo until he and his small group had disappeared around the corner.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he snarled through gritted teeth as he pounded his forehead against the steering wheel. This was bad. Bikky had fought because the kids at school were teasing him about his dad being a fag. This was so much worse than that incident with those two gay-bashers outside the convenience store. He could beat the crap out of a guy with a big mouth and a bad attitude, and Ryo would forgive him. But the kids at school picking on Ryo's son? That wasn't something he could fight. He admitted to himself that he was terrified that Ryo might choose to end their relationship just so that Bikky could lead a normal life and not have trouble at school. If it came down to a choice between Bikky and him, Dee was very much afraid that he would lose.

End of chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May) **

**_Chapter 14_  
**  
**Pairing:** Dee/Ryo

**Rating:** Chapter 14 has no sex or kissing or anything to prevent you from reading it at work. The F-word gets tossed around a couple of times.

**Spoilers: **To Volume 7

**Timing: **Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

**Summary:** Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to help a young runaway. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

**Author's notes**: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. There will be no gratuitous crying and running away! I HATE it when characters cry and run away. Ryo and Dee are men, not boys.

Thank you **_Blue Simplicity_** for so efficiently beta-ing this chapter and standing ready to beta the next one.

Thank you also to all the people out there who are kind enough to read my work and comment on it.

**A New Day**

_Chapter 14 _

Arriving punctually at five minutes before seven the next morning, Detective McLean was surprised to be informed by Janet that his partner was already there. He wondered if there might be something special going on that he had forgotten about, apart from the nine o'clock appointment between Eddie and Detective Shaver, of course. He found Dee in the break room dumping sugar liberally into a cup of coffee.

"Good Morning, Dee. Nice to see you here so early. Are you turning over a new leaf?"

Dee turned to him with a weak grin. "Nah. Just couldn't sleep. Gave up trying and came to work. How ya doin'?"

He certainly did look tired. "Why couldn't you sleep? Is anything wrong?"

"Too much coffee, probably," Dee lied. He wasn't about to tell Ryo the truth. _Well, actually I was worrying that a certain someone is having second thoughts about being in a male-male relationship with me and is shortly going to give me my walking papers._ Nope. Couldn't say that.

Ryo shook his head and said, "When are you going to remember that you can't drink coffee in the evenings? Some people can, but not you."

"Yeah, like you for example. Hey, we never got a chance to talk about Thomas last night. What did the doc say?"

Ryo frowned and said, "Ah." He poured a cup of coffee for himself.

"'Ah'?"

"Well, she did find some faded bruises on his thighs and buttocks that were consistent with some kind of beating---long thin bruises, like he'd been hit with a stick or a switch."

Looking down at his coffee, Dee swore under his breath through clenched teeth. Then he glanced up at Ryo. "But?"

"But, Thomas wouldn't tell her how he got them. Or me. First he said he couldn't remember, and then he said he might have fallen."

They left the break room and started heading toward the stairs.

"Kid's having second thoughts about getting his dad in trouble," Dee said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and he doesn't even know at this point that the woman he thinks of as his mother is about to take off, leaving him alone with Lieutenant Abernathy." Ryo glanced at Dee. He wondered if Mrs. Abernathy's impending abandonment of her son was upsetting for Dee. After all, Dee's own mother had abandoned him when he was a baby. It couldn't be easy for him to hear about things like this. But on the other hand, he had grown up in an orphanage surrounded by other children in similar circumstances. Ryo understood that there was a difference between being orphaned and being abandoned. He just couldn't be sure how inured Dee was to the concept of parents deserting their children. He suspected however, from certain things Dee had said while drunk, that his own experience was a deep and private pain that was not up for discussion.

Dee's expression was grim, but his thoughts were mainly for Thomas. "He told us his dad didn't beat him when she was around. If she's gone, and that bastard Abernathy is pissed about her leaving him, he could end up taking it out on the kid."

"I'm worried about that, too. Personally, I'd like to see Thomas go into foster care for a while. He could feel safe for long enough to consider his options properly."

"Well, nothing we can do until we see the lay of the land at the meeting. It's all up to him. What time are we picking him up?"

"WE are not picking him up. I am. YOU are going to stay here and recopy all those files you spilled coffee all over."

"What? Waste of time. I dried 'em off. They're a little stained and wrinkled, but they're legible. Mostly."

"No, they're not as legible as you think, and they look like hell. What if someone else needs to cross-reference them? I'm not gonna give anyone a chance to say we're sloppy or unprofessional. You spilled the coffee, you make them look pretty again."

"Aw Ryo..."

"Don't argue with me. If you spent the same amount of time working as you do bitching, you'd be in the Chief's job by now."

"Okay, okay. What time does my file-copying torture start?"

"I'm picking Thomas up at 1:00 after lunch. The meeting's at two. You can get a lot done between one and two."

"But we can at least have lunch together, right?"

"Nope, I already made plans to have lunch with Drake."

"Drake! Well, why can't I come?"

"I think he wants to talk about Megan."

"Well, then I'M the guy he should be talking to!"

"Yeah, but you're the guy that organizes betting pools on how long his relationships are going to last. And you always give him way too much stupid advice that just gets him in trouble. I think he's a little too fragile to deal with you right now."

"Ahhh, maybe you're right. He was pretty upset yesterday. He doesn't usually blow up like that. Go on then, leave me to eat my lonely lunch by myself. See if I care."

"I'm sure JJ will be available if you're looking for a lunch partner," said Ryo blandly.

Dee groaned in response as they entered their office. "I'd rather have lunch with a starving werewolf. At least silver bullets work on THEM."

Ryo just sighed and bit back his rejoinder. Dee could keep this up for hours and if he wanted any work to get done before they had to head out for their meeting, it would be best for him to just keep quiet and not offer any encouragement to Dee's imagination.

For his part, Dee, who had been testing the waters, sat down at his desk with a considerable feeling of relief. Ryo was acting normally with him, not shutting him out or being cold. Perhaps that meant he wasn't as upset about what he had learned from Thomas last night as Dee had previously thought. But then he remembered that his partner was not a fast decision maker. He might still be considering the implications of Bikky's fight and slowly working his way toward some kind of resolution. His relief faded somewhat. He wished he knew what was going on in Ryo's mind.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dee kept pace with Eddie on the opposite side of the broad street. It took all his concentration because of the heavy traffic whizzing back and forth in both directions that frequently obscured his view of Eddie's sloping, slightly hunched form. From their respective vantage points, Dee and Ryo had observed Detective Shaver arrive just before nine with a surly expression and a crumpled brown paper grocery bag under one arm. Shaver hadn't stayed longer than ten minutes, and Eddie had left shortly after him. Dee knew that Ryo was thinking the same thing he was. Evidently some kind of drop had just taken place, because now it was Eddie who was carrying the bag, and man, was he moving quickly.

Ryo, who was following about 20 paces or so behind Eddie, couldn't wait to get his hands on whatever was in that bag. He was pretty sure it wasn't groceries, or even cigarettes. Eddie's urgent pace and the frequent, furtive glances he cast over his shoulder spoke of barely suppressed excitement and anxiety. Ryo hoped Eddie hadn't realized he was being followed. He had dressed in nondescript clothing today specifically because of the meeting between Detective Shaver and Eddie. He managed to make full use of the crowds on the busy sidewalk, mostly contriving to keep other pedestrians between himself and Eddie.

They turned right once onto West 45th Street, and then left, and then suddenly Eddie was disappearing through the etched plexiglas doors of the Westington. Ryo had half expected to end up here as soon as their quarry had turned onto Hammersley. He knelt down and pretended to tie his shoe as he waited for Dee to catch up with him. When his partner arrived, Ryo turned to him.

"Think we should try for a warrant?" he asked. "If that's what I think it is in the bag, we could nail Shaver and find out who he's working for."

"Nah, whatever's in that bag will be long gone by the time we get one and get back here. So what if it's inadmissible? What we need right now is information."

Ryo nodded in agreement and they walked side by side up the steps of the hotel. Several unkempt, lounging figures got up and hastily shambled off down the street as the two men entered the building.

Ryo glanced at Dee. "Guess we've got 'cop' written all over us," he muttered.

"I don't," Dee said. "It's all you, dude."

Ryo privately disagreed with that, but he wasn't about to waste time arguing. The desk clerk, a heavy, grizzled middle-aged man, was glaring at them pugnaciously. He had unshaven jowls and a pouty, red little mouth set incongruously between them.

"What the fuck do _you_ want?"

Ryo slapped his badge on the counter and said, "The guy that just came in, Eddie Calvetti, what room is he in?"

"Officers, I'm gonna take a wild guess that you didn't walk in here with a warrant all signed and ready to go, did you?"

Dee's hand shot out and gripped a fistful of the man's greasy, stained shirt. "Listen asshole, just tell us the room number right now this fucking second unless you want to be arrested for obstruction AND have your business shut down for numerous violations of city bylaws," he snarled.

"I ain't in violation of no bylaws."

"Oh yeah? I could have sworn I saw the lights flicker just now. Betcha got some faulty wiring in the walls there. Whadda you think, Detective McLean?"

"Looks like this place might not be wired to code. If so, it's a firetrap."

Dee still hadn't let go of the desk clerk's shirt, and the man began to struggle and strain away from him.

"Officers, lemme go, goddammit. N-nothing wrong with the wiring here," he huffed.

"Let him go, Dee." Ryo turned back to the desk clerk. "I've got a friend in the building inspection department at City Hall," he informed him. "If you'd prefer not to get a visit from him, you'd better give us the room number right now."

"And the key too, if you don't wanna be replacing a busted door later," Dee added, cracking his neck and grinning as though the thought of kicking in a door seemed like fun.

With a look of resentment, the man slapped a key on the desk in front of them. "Two-seventeen," he snarled. "If you gotta take him in, try to save the police brutality shit for when you get outside, okay? I fucking hate cleaning blood off the carpets."

"You got it, boss," sneered Dee.

"If you give him a call to say that we're on our way up, I will personally make sure that the city closes your establishment for extensive repairs," Ryo warned him.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry," grumbled the man dismissively as he fumbled for a cigarette. "Man, I hate you pigs. Think you can walk all over anyone."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The sudden loud rapping on the door startled Eddie. "Who-who is it?" he called.

"Manager," growled Dee in an imitation of the desk clerk's voice that was so uncannily accurate that Ryo stared at him for a moment.

"Uh...Just a minute, okay?"

"Emergency," Dee growled again. "Come on, right now!" But even as he said it, he was turning the key in the lock.

The door swung open to reveal Eddie and a skinny black hooker in a skimpy yellow dress in the act of stuffing several packages back into the paper bag.

"Shit!" exclaimed Eddie, and before Ryo and Dee could even open their mouths, he had dropped the bag, streaked across the room, and yanked open the window. This time Ryo was right behind him.

"Eddie, wait! You're not in trouble!" he cried, reaching for Eddie as the boy ducked through the open window. Unfortunately, the window had jammed and wouldn't open wide enough to admit Ryo, who was not as small and thin as Eddie. They could hear him clattering noisily down the fire escape. Ryo finally forced the window open wide enough for him to get his shoulders through, but it was too late. One glance told him that he wasn't going to be able to catch Eddie now.

"He's gone, damn it," he swore and turned his attention to his surroundings. The small dirty room was piled high with junk, although there did seem to be a few items with resale value. Ryo thought he recognized the two laptops he'd seen the last time they had invited themselves into one of Eddie's domiciles. An unmade twin bed sporting greyish sheets was pushed up against one wall. The whole effect was depressing.

The young girl was staring at them with wide eyes. Well, one eye anyway. The other one was ringed with purple and swollen closed. It looked like someone, most likely her pimp, had done a number on her face. Her hands went up and she started backing away from the two detectives. Presently, she backed into the bed.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout nothin'," she said. "I don't even live here."

"Don't worry, hon," said Dee. "We're not after you. We weren't even after him." He jerked his thumb at the window. "We just wanted to talk, that's all."

"Well, scaring the shit out of a person is not the best way to start a conversation, now is it?"

"Sometimes, surprise is the only thing that works," Dee retorted, opening the bag. He whistled when he saw the contents. "Look at this, partner."

It was full of individual packages wrapped round with duct tape so as to obscure their contents.

Ryo nodded. "I knew it," he said.

"That's gotta be worth fifteen hundred right there."

Ryo looked hard at the girl. "Did you take any of this?"

"No way, sir, there weren't no time! You musta been right behind him. We was only looking inside the bag, that's all, and then bam, you guys come through the door." She wrapped her arms around herself and sat down on the bed.

Dee had fished out a smaller package. Unlike the others, this one was not protected by duct tape. It was a plastic bag full of coarse white powder. A label on the bag contained the word 'Yours'.

"'Yours'. That's his cut," Ryo said thoughtfully.

"Not much, is it?" Dee remarked. "That wouldn't last him more than a couple of days, maybe three if he was careful with it. Judging by the tracks we saw on him that other time, he really goes through the stuff."

"They must not have expected him to have all this for longer than a couple of days, then. Otherwise, he'd be dipping into the merchandise." Ryo sighed. "We really need to talk to that guy." He turned to Tamara who was watching them both cautiously. It was written all over her face that she was concerned they might want to take her back to the station for questioning.

"What's your name, Miss?"

"Uh, Tammy," she said.

"Have you known Eddie long?"

"Nah," she lied. "I just came home wit' him last night, that's all. I gotta be leaving soon."

"Well, if he comes back before you go, would you please tell him that we just want to ask him some questions about a friend of his." He handed her his business card, and she took it from him.

"Sure thing, Officer."

"And tell him we're sorry but we gotta take this stuff away," Dee added with a grin as he picked up the bag full of drugs.

"Oh, I'll tell him you're REAL sorry," she said, but her eyes were fixed on the bag, rather than Dee.

"Ready to go?" Dee asked Ryo, and received a nod in reply.

"Take care, Tammy," Ryo called as he and Dee exited the dingy room, leaving her behind.

Dee pitched the key back at the desk clerk on their way out. The man was forced to drop the beer he was drinking in his scramble to catch it.

"Fucking pigs!" he screamed after them.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tamara, who had been leaning out the window, watched the two handsome plainclothes officers disappearing down the street. Why couldn't her customers ever look like that? She smiled ruefully, but quickly stopped when the action hurt her still-swollen lower lip. Why did she have to meet a couple of lookers like that when she herself was looking like hell? Life really was unfair. It was also too bad they had to take all that good stuff away with them before she and Eddie had had a chance to have a little party. But then they hadn't got it all, had they? She went over to the bed and fished out a little plastic bag from under the tangled sheets. There was a small label on it that said 'Yours'.

"Bless you, Eddie," she said to herself. "You always were a sweetheart."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dee banged open the door of the fourth floor office he shared with Ryo, saying, "Good news, dude. Liz says--"

He stopped speaking when he realized Ryo was not at his desk. Again. He had barely had a chance to exchange two words with his partner since they had come back from the Westington. He was trying not to be paranoid, but it really did seem like Ryo, normally such a dedicated desk jockey, appeared to be avoiding him. He stepped across the hall to the CI room shared by Drake, JJ, Ted and Marty.

"Hey guys, have you seen Ryo?"

"Yeah, he was just here," said Drake. "He said he was going to get a coffee."

"Didn't he say he was going to the john?" asked Ted.

"No, YOU'RE the only one around here who thinks it's necessary to make an announcement whenever you go to the john," said JJ snappishly. He sprang up from his chair and hurried over to Dee. "I'll help you find him, Mr. Studly."

"No thanks, not urgent. Besides, don't you and Drake have an appointment?" Dee started edging away.

"Not until one o'clock, so I'm all yours till then," said JJ joyfully, taking back in a single bound all of the distance Dee had managed to put between them.

"Forget it, JJ. I'm just going back to wait for Ryo and make a few phone calls. Jesus, let go of my arm, would ya?" Dee tried to shake him off, but JJ just clung to his arm and more or less hugged it close to his body. "Drake! Call him off."

"Come on JJ, quit fooling around. I need your help over here," Drake said. "Can you get the Chief to sign off on this report and then fax this warrant over to the DA's office?"

JJ immediately let go of Dee and returned to Drake. He was still feeling a little guilty about yesterday. "Sure thing, partner," he said. "Anything for you! I'll be back soon. And don't worry, Dee. I'll keep my eyes open for Ryo on my travels." He disappeared out the door with the papers in his hand.

Dee didn't see Ryo again until almost noon, when his partner came in carrying a clipboard and wearing a thoughtful expression.

"Where have you been?" he demanded indignantly. "I was looking for you. I've been all alone with this damn boring paperwork for almost two hours with no one to talk to."

Ryo looked at him and frowned slightly. "Doesn't look like you made much of an impression on it," he remarked.

"Sure I did, but no thanks to you. Every time I needed to ask you a question, you weren't here."

"Well, I'm here now, but not for long because it's almost time for me to meet Drake for lunch. So if you have any questions for me, ask me quickly."

"Oh yeah, lunch with Drake," said Dee sulkily. "How could I forget?"

"How many of those files have you actually done?"

Dee flung an arm over the pile as though to forestall any investigation of that point and threw out a question of his own.

"Hey, if Drake's buying you lunch, can I buy you dinner?"

"Not tonight, sorry. I really need to talk to Bikky and I haven't been able to do that for the past couple of days since Thomas has been staying with us. But he'll be either going home with his parents or getting sent to a foster home after the meeting today. This will be my first opportunity since Sunday night to spend some time with B."

"Oh, hey, it was just a suggestion," said Dee casually, although he could feel his insides starting to knot up. "We can do dinner tomorrow or the next day."

"Sure, whatever," said Ryo abstractedly, as he pulled out a blank file and labeled it.

"Oh, I got some good news," Dee said, trying to swing Ryo's attention back toward him.

But Ryo just gave him the briefest of glances. "Oh?"

"Liz says that even though the lab is backlogged, she'll try to get us the results on that smack we brought in by tomorrow."

"Well, that's great news if it's true," murmured Ryo, who was transferring the contents of his clipboard into his newly labeled file. "But maybe she just said that to get rid of you so she could get back to work."

"Dude, I'm offended. I've been exerting myself to flirt with her all these months for times just such as these."

"No, you've been exerting yourself to flirt with her because you automatically enter 'flirt mode' whenever you encounter any female in a short skirt." Ryo picked up his jacket and headed for the door.

"Not true!" Dee called after him weakly. "Tight pants work too."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A couple of hours after his precipitate exit, cold and needing a fix, Eddie slunk back to the Westington. Surely those cops would have given up by now. But it was a certain bet that they would have taken the stuff he'd picked up that morning. Fuck. This was the latest shitty thing to happen in what was turning out to be quite a long run of bad luck. He didn't even want to think about what Mike would say. Eddie didn't believe that this particular pair of cops would have kept it for themselves, especially not the one that he knew to be Bikky's dad, although there were plenty who would. They had probably done the righteous thing and taken it back to the station where it would eventually get incinerated. Jesus. Just thinking about that made Eddie's hands shake worse. He had to somehow get a hold of another hit of something before too much more time had gone by, or he was soon going to be in a bad way.

He retrieved his key from the front desk clerk, who seemed to have the best part of a six pack inside him.

"You got away, eh? Pigs didn't catch you, huh?' The man laughed uproariously at the thought of the police being thwarted like that. Finally, he smacked the key down on the counter in front of Eddie and all laughter abruptly stopped.

"If the police come back here looking for you one more time, you're out. You got that? I can't have heat showing up here. They're bad for business."

"Yes sir," said Eddie meekly, retrieving the key and backing away. He took the stairs two at a time hoping against hope that Tamara would still be there and that she still had some of the junk he had given her earlier.

To his surprise, the door wasn't locked. He opened it cautiously and entered, calling out, "Tamara! Where are you, honey?" When he saw her lying on the bed, he felt a rush of relief. Thank God she hadn't left. She was just taking a nap.

"Come on, sweetie, wake up," he called softly, so as not to startle her, and then suddenly stopped, his hackles rising in alarm. He could smell vomit. She wasn't moving. Oh god, this was bad. He took another step closer. "T-Tamara?"

She lay on her side with her eyes and mouth open. There was puke everywhere. She wasn't breathing. Eddie felt tears prickling at the back of his eyelids while a million thoughts sprang into his head at once. He knew he ought to close the door, but he was afraid to be alone in the room with a dead body. He had to get the fuck away from here. But he had to pack up his stuff because it was worth money and it was all he had. He needed a hit real bad. Maybe the rest of the smack was somewhere on her person. Maybe she hadn't used it all. Jesus, he was going to get blamed for this, he just knew it. And actually, it was his fault. He had given her the drug she had OD'd on. If he hadn't brought her home with him, this never would have happened. When was he going to learn to stop meddling in other people's lives? He had been only trying to help and look what had happened to Tamara.

Eventually, he pulled himself together. He couldn't bring himself to touch her body, junk or no junk. He had to get out and he had to travel light, so most of his possessions were going to have to stay behind.

Having reached a decision, Eddie went into action. First he shut the still-open door of his room lest anyone passing by in the hall took it upon himself to peer in. Then he stepped to a random-looking pile of his stuff and shook a dusty, dark green backpack out from under it. Despite the appearance of disorder, Eddie always knew exactly where every one of his belongings was. He stuffed both of the laptops into the backpack, along with an extra battery and an adaptor. He added a sweater and some socks, a package of tea biscuits and a few more items he figured he could sell for quick cash. Next he dug out his tool box and hefted it experimentally. It was pretty heavy, but he hated to leave his tools behind. If worse came to worst, he could earn a bit of money by doing odd jobs with them. He decided to take them with him, but stash them somewhere safe as soon as possible. Almost ready to go, he took one last look around the room and checked his pockets. After all, if he forgot anything important, there would be no coming back here. He had his notebook in the inside breast pocket of his coat, his cell phone in the front right pocket—Where was his charger? He quickly fetched it from out of a knotted plastic grocery bag and shoved it into one of the pockets of his jacket. His hand came up and patted the reassuring lump made by a very old and ornate key that hung round his neck on a piece of strong string. If he could get to Queens before 5:30, he could use that key and stash some of his stuff. It was time to go. Eddie slung the backpack over his shoulder and vanished down the fire escape for the second time that day. His one thought was to disappear for a while. He didn't want to call Mike until he had had time to think. But it was going to be hard not to think about Tamara, whom he'd known since she was eight.

If anyone had noticed a skinny, scruffy young guy loping along the sidewalk with the tense, desperate look of a junkie in need of a fix, they would have dismissed the tears running down his face as mere tears of self-pity. No one would have guessed that he was trying his best not to think of a once-pretty girl in a yellow dress whom he had left lying cold and still in a pool of her own vomit.

-end of chapter 14-


	15. Chapter 15

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**Pairing: ** Dee/Ryo

**Rating: ** Chapter 15 is totally worksafe. The boys have been a little too busy at work, not to mention caught up in fears and self doubts recently to get back into bed.

**Spoilers: ** To Volume 7

**Timing:** Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

**Summary: ** Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo help a young runaway, while trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

**Author****s notes:** I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Sorry to JJ-lovers, but he doesn't make an appearance in this chapter, even though his name comes up a few times.

**Thank you** to _Blue Simplicity_ who is the best friend and beta a girl could have!

Please read and review. Chapter 16 is already up on my Livejournal page. If you want the address of that, you should email me since I can't do direct links from this page. If you ever want to ask me any questions about this story, just ask. I try to reply to everyone who has been kind enough to contact me.

**A New Day**

_Chapter 15_

Ryo sat across from Drake in a little Chinese restaurant, sipping jasmine tea and hoping he could remember not to rest his elbow in a small greasy patch he had already detected on the laminated tabletop. He also hoped that the food was better than the shabby interior and relative lack of customers during what should have been a busy lunch hour indicated. He belatedly recalled that Drake never picked good restaurants and cursed himself for not having countered Drake's suggestion with an option or two of his own.

"How's the food here?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Just good old plain, serviceable Chinese food," Drake replied. "They have some good lunch specials though, and cheaper than you might think."

A waitress appeared and unceremoniously dumped a pair of menus on the table.

"Menu!" she said. "Hurry up, decide. I'm busy." Then she stalked off.

"Thanks, Lily," Drake called out to her retreating back and opened up one of the menus. He and Ryo studied them in silence for a minute.

Suddenly, Ryo closed his menu and put it down. The last time he had been sitting across a table from Drake had been yesterday in the break room when Drake had become uncharacteristically upset with the ribbing that was par for the course at the 27th.

"Drake," he began, "Was there something different about Megan?"

"Huh? Oh, um, not really. I mean, she's a great girl and all, but not... you know, 'The One'."

Ryo smiled. "I'm relieved," he said. "You seemed to be taking it harder than usual."

Drake looked a little sheepish. "Sorry about that. I really shouldn't have yelled at you guys the way I did. It was just a combination of things, I guess."

Ryo waved a dismissive hand. "Don't apologize. No harm done."

"It was kind of like the last straw, you know? A couple of other things were going wrong, and then Megan comes by and breaks up with me at work! Can you believe it?"

"That IS pretty tacky."

"She wouldn't listen, wouldn't let me have my say. It was frustrating, man. She just cut my balls off for me and left."

"JJ sure seemed worried about you."

"Yeah," said Drake, his voice softening. "He's being a real sweetheart. He thought I was mad at _him_."

"What for?"

"Oh for spending too much time chasing around after Dee while I'm doing the boring stuff."

"Mmm," said Ryo, picking up his menu again. What could he say to that one? That was exactly how he saw it. But Drake didn't seem to mind.

"Funny thing was," Drake continued, "It WAS kind of his fault that Megan broke up with me."

"How's that?"

Drake looked across the table at his handsome and seemingly asexual co-worker, and wondered yet again if there was a chance that Ryo could be gay and just seriously in the closet. Somehow, Drake simply couldn't imagine his shy, mild-mannered colleague cruising the studs in a gay bar. But he'd been working with this man for two and a half years and had hardly ever seen him with a woman. Except for that chick -- what was her name? -- Meredith, about six months back. But she hadn't lasted. Until Meredith had come along, JJ had been convinced that Ryo was gay. Drake, however, had never been sure. In his professional capacity, he was ever alert to the potential for dissemblance, experience having taught him that no one with a secret was ever one hundred percent forthcoming with the police. However, he preferred to take his friends and co-workers at face value. Life was easier that way. Ryo claimed to be straight, so Drake chose to believe him. And if he was straight, Ryo had a right to know what people were saying about the CI Division of the 27th. He hesitated, knowing that the other detective would probably be as stunned as he himself had been. But maybe the 'queer' label was why the poor guy hadn't been able to get a woman. Every time Drake got dumped by another girlfriend, he secretly took solace from the fact that even though he wasn't a pretty boy like Dee or Ryo, he was at least getting dates.

Drake had more or less talked himself into a decision. It was his duty to tell Ryo that the women at Megan's precinct, plus a few other police departments, were under the impression he was gay.

He took a deep breath and plunged into the whole sorry story.

When he had finished, Ryo was blushing furiously. "What the hell--? How could they think that?"

Drake shrugged apologetically. "Who knows how rumors get started? Anyway dude, it's not just you. It's all of us."

"Even Sheldon? He's, like, sixty."

"I don't think anyone cares about Sheldon's sexual orientation one way or another."

"And what about Eliza?"

"Oh, no not her. Everyone knows she has a boyfriend. And before you mention it, not Marty either because he's married. It's just us single guys who don't have girlfriends."

Just then the waitress reappeared and glared at them. "You boys ready?"

"Yeah," said Drake quickly, picking up his menu again. "I'll have a number 15."

"And you?" The waitress transferred her basilisk gaze to Ryo.

"I'll have a number 15 too," he said with a smile, handing her his menu.

"You want egg roll or extra rice?"

Both men shook their heads and she disappeared again.

Drake looked at Ryo in surprise. "I didn't know you liked chicken's feet," he said.

"Huh?" said Ryo in alarm, but then Drake chuckled.

"I'm only kidding. You didn't exactly read the menu."

"Well, I figured I couldn't go wrong ordering the same thing as you. Besides, the sudden discovery that all the single guys in the 27th are gay, including me, really threw me for a loop. So, what DID I order?"

"House Special chow mein. It's got a little bit of just about every creature under the sun in it, but it's actually pretty tasty."

"There'd better not be any creature's feet in it, or I'll make sure no one ever goes for lunch with you again."

"Well, I'll always have JJ," said Drake. "_He'd _eat lunch with me no matter what."

Ryo smiled and poured more tea for himself and Drake. But behind the smile, his mind was furiously processing this new information. So much for staying in the closet for a while. If he was widely thought to be gay, it had to be Dee's fault. His mouth tightened a little. Then he forced himself to relax.

"Drake," he said casually, "How much does it bother you that a certain subset of NYPD females now believe you're gay? I mean...does it freak you out?"

"Well, I gotta admit, it did at first," replied Drake. "Because I really had no idea until Megan pointed it out. And you know JJ, always hugging and pouncing. He's a pretty touchy-feely little guy. I guess to an outsider it looks like I'm condoning all that man-to-man affection. But what am I supposed to do? Backhand him and tell him to get the hell off?"

"Dee does that to him all the time, and it's never been known to work."

"No," Drake agreed. "I don't think anything could discourage JJ from being so...affectionate. And then there's Dee. He's so far out of the closet that he couldn't find it again if he needed to change his shirt."

"He's a pouncer, too," murmured Ryo, who was aware that he was skating on thin ice.

"Yeah, but at least he limits his affections to you and you alone. JJ jumps on almost anybody, but I think Dee gets the brunt of it. Followed by me. I swear I get more hugs from JJ in an average week than I ever did from Megan. OR Cordelia," he added, referring to Megan's equally short-lived predecessor. "Anyhow, with JJ grabbing Dee and me, and Dee grabbing you, I guess it's unavoidable that their victims -- that's you and me, dude -- are gonna get talked about."

"And then there's Rose," said Ryo, wanting to get off the topic of Dee and his victim.

"Yeah, and what a piece of work he is. Kissing you in broad daylight like that! On a busy street, too. I think there are still rumors circulating about that one, even though it's been a while since it happened."

"Don't remind me," growled Ryo, flushing at the memory. He had rarely been more embarrassed or shocked in his life than when the Commissioner had taken that particular liberty.

Drake grinned. "Good thing you clocked him one. I don't know many guys who would've had the guts to punch out the Commissioner of the NYPD. Potential career suicide."

"Yeah, but what with the potential of a sexual harassment suit, we ended up at a stalemate. He hasn't tried it again since."

"What I don't get," Drake said, "is why you were so pissed off about the Commissioner trying to kiss you, but you always forgive Dee."

Ryo sighed. "I don't know why, but I can never stay mad at Dee."

"So what are we gonna do now?" Drake asked as he unwrapped his chopsticks and broke them apart. "We got ourselves a rep, through no fault of our own, for being gay."

Ryo was silent.

"Does it bug you?" Drake asked.

"Yes and no."

"Yeah, me too. Yes, it bugs me because I really like girls and a gay label is going to make it even harder for me to get a cute one, but on the no side, gayness in general doesn't bug me. I've even been JJ's 'date' a couple of times when he wanted to go clubbing and not get hit on."

"Really?" Ryo was surprised. He himself had never willingly stepped into a gay bar unless he was working. "What was it like?"

"Pretty wild. Got my butt pinched." Drake took a sip of his tea and chuckled. "But JJ defended my honor."

"Did you see anyone you knew?"

"No, thank God. I'll admit I was a little nervous about that. But JJ made sure we didn't go anywhere where we might run into other NYPD people."

"Did you dance?" Ryo couldn't resist smirking a little. Drake was famous for his two left feet.

"No way, man. I draw the line at dancing. I just stood around and tried to look butch. JJ wanted to dance but I promised I'd seriously embarrass him if he left me alone for too long."

"Must be hard for him sometimes," murmured Ryo, looking at his chopsticks.

"Who, JJ? I don't think so."

"No?"

"Well, you gotta remember, he's been out for a long time. Pretty well everyone in his life knows he's gay. He's got a good job, lots of friends...He's good-looking...He's got everything he needs."

"But don't you think that gay people have to endure a lot of direct and indirect discrimination?"

"Come on dude, this is New York City! It's not that hard being gay here. We're not in rural Nebraska. I don't think JJ and Dee could get away with behaving the way they do in a place like that without getting themselves lynched. But here in the city, there's a pretty high level of acceptance. Even the Commissioner of the NYPD doesn't try all that hard to hide his sexual orientation."

"But still, we hear about incidents."

"Yeah that's true. Like those two homophobes that came in threatening to press charges against Dee last week, for example. He got JJ to run 'em off."

Ryo looked interested. "Mm? I didn't hear about that. What two homophobes?"

"Oh, I'm surprised Dee didn't tell you. Apparently Dee was kissing a guy in a parking lot somewhere and two douchebags came up and gave him a hard time. He punched them both out and told them to beat it, but then they showed up at the precinct a couple of days later with the license plate number from Dee's car."

Ryo almost choked on his tea, but by the time he had recovered enough to ask for more details, the waitress was suddenly there, snapping, "Move hands! Got hot plates here. Sheesh."

She slapped the plates down in front of the two detectives, who barely managed to get their elbows off the table in time. Ryo was so distracted by her brusque manner that he forgot to ask for more tea before she swept off. But Drake remembered.

"Lily!" he called, holding up the empty teapot. "More tea, please!"

Lily stopped halfway across the restaurant and heaved an exaggerated sigh before she turned around. "Pay extra!" she snapped, pointing a finger at him. "Don't drink fast next time." Then she stamped away to the kitchen.

Ryo turned incredulous eyes to Drake. "We have to pay for the tea in a Chinese restaurant?"

"Maybe, maybe not. She's normally a fiery little thing, but today she's extra ornery," said Drake tolerantly. "I wonder why?"

"Maybe she's heard we're gay," remarked Ryo staring glumly at what looked like a large octopus tentacle that was draped over the top of his chow mein.

&&&&&&

Ryo glanced over at Thomas, who sat quietly in the passenger seat of the car. His body seemed to be drawn in upon itself in some way so that he looked smaller than usual in his fashionably oversized clothes, and there was an anxious little furrow between his brows. Ryo knew he was nervous because this was the first time in their short acquaintance that the normally chatty and confiding boy had fallen silent.

"Are you ready for this?" Ryo asked him.

"I-- Yeah, I guess so."

"Remember, this is just a chance to talk things out a bit," Ryo said encouragingly. "You don't have to go home today if you're not ready to."

"But can I stay with you?" Thomas asked quickly, turning beseeching eyes toward the detective beside him.

"I doubt Lieutenant Smith would allow it," Ryo answered gently. "It seems your dad has complained about me. If you choose not to go home, you'll be placed in temporary foster care. I've met the family you would be staying with. They're very nice."

Thomas gave him a doubtful look before casting his eyes down and playing with the strings of his hoodie. "Ryo--" he began and then hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I just wanna...I wanna thank you for being so nice to me. I've been really happy staying with you the last couple days. I wish my dad could be more like you."

"Well thank you, Thomas," said Ryo, ignoring the part about the boy's father. "We've enjoyed having you stay with us too."

"You and Dee, you're so great together. You're the first real gay couple I've ever met. You guys seem so happy with each other. I mean, you're so normal."

"Uh...I'm glad you think so. Though sometimes I think mealtimes at our house are anything but."

Thomas looked at him again and his eyes looked a little damp. "You guys have really given me hope," he said. "Dad thinks I'll never be happy and I'll have a bad life for sure if I'm gay, but now I know he's wrong."

"I know he's wrong, too," said Ryo warmly. "Your happiness is up to you and will come from the choices you make."

"Now if I could just stop getting beaten up at school..." said Thomas with a self-deprecating grin.

"Which that brings us to something I've been meaning to talk to you about," said Ryo. "Have you ever thought about trying any martial arts?"

"Uh, well once I went to my friend Clifford's Kung Fu class, but the guys were really, um, big, and kind of tough and mean. I didn't think it was for me."

"Bikky used to do Kung Fu," Ryo said. "But when he started getting really serious about basketball, it kind of fell by the wayside. I do Karate, myself," he added. "I started when I was about your age. I know what you mean about the macho attitudes of the guys at your friend's Kung Fu class, but not all clubs are like that."

"But isn't it really hard?" Thomas asked. "Even if they're nice to beginners?"

"No sport is easy in the beginning. It always takes time and effort for a person to become good at it. But I think that learning a martial art is a practical way to increase fitness, strength and self-confidence. Not to mention self-defense."

"Huh," said Thomas, who appeared to be thinking about it. "Um, so...do you think I could come with you sometime when you do your Karate?"

"I haven't gone to a Karate class in about 2 months." Ryo sighed. "I got really busy and then I got out of the habit. But it's definitely time to go back."

"Are you, like, a black belt or something?"

Ryo confirmed that he was and had been since he was seventeen.

Thomas looked at him in admiration and then sighed. "Just like Bikky," he said. "You don't have to take shit, either. You can make people respect you."

Ryo almost smiled as he thought about the precise amount of respect he was able to command from the Chief and his co-workers on a daily basis. Thomas seemed to have a somewhat exaggerated idea about the powers that a black belt conferred on one. Ryo knew that if the boy had any idea of how much shit cops had to take just as a daily part of the job, he would be disappointed.

"Thomas, I'm going to start going to my classes again next week," he said. "But at my dojo on Tuesday and Thursday evenings they have a teen class. It's from six to eight pm. The kids range in age from thirteen to eighteen or nineteen, and they go from beginner all the way up to black belt. If you're interested in trying it out, I'll be happy to go with you and introduce you to them."

"Yeah, I'd like that. If no one wants to beat the crap out of me on my very first day, of course. Uh, when? Next week?"

"How about tomorrow?"

"Yeah? Cool! So I'm not really saying goodbye to you today. I'm gonna see you again tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, smiling. "And I think you'll like the class. They're a nice bunch of people, boys AND girls. And don't worry. No one's going to beat you up. I'll write down the address for you when we get to the station. Let's meet there at a quarter to six, okay?"

Thomas agreed enthusiastically and then lost himself in verbal imaginings of how cool and popular he would be once he had mastered Karate that were so unintentionally funny that it was difficult for Ryo to refrain from laughing. He just loved the innocent enthusiasm of kids. If only the harsh vagaries of life didn't so frequently crush it out of them. He thought of Eddie, all washed up at twenty with nothing to look forward to except jail or death. Eddie had been a laughing child once, some mother's hopefully beloved baby, and now he was selling drugs and boosting stolen merchandise to survive. Yet Eddie had taken Thomas in and looked out for him during the boy's brief stint as a runaway. Perhaps there was still hope for Eddie. There was certainly hope for Thomas.

&&&&&&&&

Ryo and Dee stood with Thomas outside the closed door of the Chief's office. They could hear Lt. Abernathy's big rolling voice inside, cheerfully reminiscing with his old friend, Lt. Warren Smith.

"Shall we go in?" Ryo asked Thomas, his hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy's body felt as hard as a rock underneath his hand. Thomas stood looking at his shoes for a few more moments until Dee nudged him.

"Yes? No? You need more time?"

"No, it's okay," said Thomas in a small voice. "We can go in. Only--" Suddenly he turned around and fiercely hugged first Ryo and then Dee.

"Thanks. For everything," he said in a shaky voice. "You guys are great."

"You're not so shabby yourself, kid," said Dee with a grin. "Ready to face a couple of cantankerous old farts?"

Thomas grinned bravely at Dee. "Let's go. And don't worry. I remember what you told me and I won't say anything about anyone's sexual orientation except mine."

"Thanks, bro," muttered Dee conspiratorially and then rapped on the door. "We're here, Chief."

"Good. Get your butts in here," the Chief called back and Dee pushed the door open.

Mike Abernathy greeted the two detectives jovially, but did not get out of his chair to shake their hands.

"Tommy-boy!" he exclaimed. "Och, what a worry you've been to your poor old dad."

"Dad, you know I prefer 'Thomas'," the boy said impatiently, although his voice shook a little. "'Tommy is for little kids. I'm almost fourteen. Where's Mom?"

"Your mother sends her apologies, but she had a very important appointment that she couldn't miss. But you'll see her at home later, won't you? She's been just beside herself with anxiety about you."

Dee and Ryo exchanged glances.

"I might not...Dad, I might not be at home later," Thomas mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

"Tommy, what's this, what's this? And here we've been missing you so much these past ten days."

"Let's introduce Thomas to the Chief before we begin our meeting, all right?" Ryo interposed smoothly. "Thomas, this is Lieutenant Smith. He's our boss. Chief, Thomas Abernathy."

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Thomas, stepping forward and extending his hand. The Chief transferred his cigar from has right hand to his teeth and offered a meaty paw to the youth.

"Welcome to the 27th, son."

"Sir, are you a Chief or a Lieutenant?" Thomas asked suspiciously.

The Chief emitted a shout of laughter. "According to my paycheck, I'm still only a Lieutenant like your dad over there," he growled. "Chief is just my nickname around here."

"Yeah, he liked that one better than 'Mein Fuhrer'," said Dee. "Besides, it's easier to pronounce."

"Quiet, Laytner. Let's not confuse the kid. Have a seat, Thomas. Let's get this show on the road. Mclean, you and Laytner sit down too."

Thomas took the seat that was furthest away from his father, and perched on the edge of it, looking for all the world like he was poised for flight.

The Chief assumed his responsibility as chairman of the meeting and began to speak, and as he did, Thomas' eyes, which had been darting all around the room, came to rest on him.

"Thomas, we've called this meeting so you can tell us what happened to make you run away from home. Your father came to me very worried indeed, so I sent these two id-- er, gentlemen to find you. Now I'm sure you had your reasons for leaving home the way you did, and I'm looking forward to working through this problem with you. You may of course participate in the decision-making process of where we go from here."

"Yes sir. Dee and Ryo explained to me that I had choices."

Lt. Abernathy's eyes narrowed momentarily, but no one noticed except Dee, who was watching everyone from underneath his lashes.

"So, can you tell us what happened then?" the Chief continued.

"I had a fight with my father. Actually, many. A really bad one the night I left."

Bit by bit, with the Chief's forthright but kind coaxing, the story came out. Thomas was gay and Mike was unhappy about it. Their life together had devolved into a series of power struggles over Thomas' friends, activities, truancy from school, and above all, his sexual orientation. It had escalated to the point where Thomas felt he couldn't live with his parents anymore and had left home shortly after midnight, nine days before.

"He smashed my computer!" said Thomas in an aggrieved voice. "And all my CDs. He threatened to send me to boarding school in Ireland. Ireland! I'd be all alone there."

"Did he at any time behave violently toward you?" asked the Chief, and Thomas lapsed into silence as the atmosphere in the room became charged with anticipation. This was the main question, the heart of the matter. Thomas' answer to this question would determine the tone of his and his father's relationship, not to mention their respective futures.

"N -- No," stammered Thomas, and Ryo bowed his head, while Lt. Abernathy suddenly seemed to sit up a little straighter.

"Are you sure, son?" probed the Chief.

"M-hm," the boy nodded, not meeting anyone's eye.

"Do you want to go home with your father today? Or would you prefer to stay with a very nice family that is awaiting a phone call from me?"

"I don't want to go home with him if it's just going to be the same old scene," replied Thomas. "I'm sick of defending my sexual orientation all the time and fighting about my friends and that stupid school he knows I hate."

"Tommy, you know we can certainly talk about those things," offered Lt. Abernathy. "I am not an unjust man and I've fair missed you these days you've been gone. I may be an old dog, but I fancy even I can learn a few new tricks if I must."

"Dad, I'm glad you said that, because I've given this a lot of thought, and I want to switch schools. There's a school where people like me can feel comfortable. It's called Harvey Milk High School."

Lt. Abernathy looked suspicious, especially when Dee began nodding in assent.

"Good school," Dee remarked to Thomas. "I know a girl who goes there."

"And what exactly would this, er, 'Henry Milk' high school be about?" Lt. Abernathy asked cautiously.

"It's a gay high school, sir," said Dee. "_Harvey_ Milk. In the Hetrick-Martin Institute in the East Village, on Broadway, I think. It was the first school of its kind in the country." He noted with relish that Mike was absolutely horrified and was trying to disguise his reaction as mere surprise.

"Now, Tommy, surely you're too young for such a place! Why, you're still in middle school."

"Dad, my middle school year will be over in another month. I'm gonna turn 14 in July. Harvey Milk accepts kids who are 12 years old. I think I'm old enough."

His father sputtered and protested, but Thomas remained adamant. Finally the Chief intervened.

"Mike, I know it's an unconventional place, but you did say you would be willing to compromise here. One of your main concerns is that your son's grades have been slipping. He claims he's being persecuted for his sexual orientation at other schools, so let him try this one as long as his grades go up."

Lt. Abernathy glared at his old friend for a moment and then heaved a long-suffering sigh, saying, "I daresay you're right, Warren." He turned to Thomas. "I expect to see some serious improvement in your grades, young man. If you fall back into partying, I'll pull you out of that place so fast your shoes will stay behind."

"No problem, Dad," said Thomas who was finally starting to look happy. "Once I'm not constantly worrying about being BEAT ON," -- just for a split second a spark of challenge appeared in his eyes -- "I'm sure I'll be able to concentrate more on my schoolwork."

Over the next fifteen minutes, Ryo marveled as Thomas entered into negotiations with his father with a skill, focus, and discipline that he never would have guessed at. His hapless parent, effectively backed into a corner, was forced to agree to most of Thomas' demands. In addition to being allowed to attend the gay high school, he was to have a later curfew on weekends, his father was no longer to enter his room without permission (Mike vetoed a lock), he would not be sent to Ireland, he would be allowed to choose his own friends, he would not have to listen to any more derogatory comments about the fact that he had turned out to be gay and he would be permitted to have a cell phone. In return, he would not openly flaunt his sexuality and he would maintain a B-average in his grades with an eye toward improving them further.

Finally, the deal had been done. Thomas was satisfied that his father had agreed to these things before witnesses, and therefore the Chief decided to draw the meeting to a close.

"So Thomas, in light of the fact that your father has shown himself willing to compromise and make adjustments so that you can feel comfortable at home again, are you willing to go home with him today?"

Thomas hesitated, watching his father's face. He seemed to be consciously enjoying his last moment of power. "Yes," he said.

"Aw Tommy, come here and give an old man a hug," cried Mike, opening his arms. Thomas hugged him back, clinging tightly, and Ryo could see that Thomas really did care about his dad, deep down. It was difficult for him to understand, since he knew that the man had beaten his son mercilessly and repeatedly denied him the right to be himself. He looked up in time to catch Mike glowering at him over the top of Thomas' head with such malevolence that he couldn't help but feel chilled. _This is far from over_, those eyes seemed to say.

It was only when he heard Thomas saying, "And remember, you promised to buy me a new computer. A good one this time, not like that crappy one you wrecked," that he realized that Thomas had obviously been in touch with his father in the last couple of days. The computer had not been part of today's negotiations. It added a new facet to Thomas' character, one that Ryo had not seen until today.

"Yes, boy, we'll go shopping for it together this weekend," soothed Mike. "Thank-you Warren, and thank you, Detectives, for looking after my boy." He shook the Chief's hand and gave Dee and Ryo a curt nod. "We've got to be going now." He gathered up his coat which had been hanging on the back of the Chief's door and took his leave, one arm tightly around Thomas' shoulders.

"Bye, guys," Thomas called over his shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Lt. Warren!"

"That's 'Smith', you little punk," murmured the Chief good-naturedly as man and boy disappeared down the hall. He turned to his two detectives and said, "Good job, boys. You got that man out of my hair in only a week."

"I'm afraid their reconciliation isn't going to last," Ryo said.

"Yeah, I know. The kid lied about the beatings."

"Isn't there something we can do? What if he seriously hurts Thomas next time?"

"We got no proof. That cell phone you talked about is either at the bottom of the river or in the hands of that junkie you can't seem to find. Even what the doctor said is inconclusive. Without the kid's word, we got nothing. We've got to let it be for now. He might change his mind in the future, but for now he's choosing the devil he knows over the devil he don't."

The Chief could see that Laytner understood how the kid felt a little better than McLean did. The man had had a rougher upbringing; he had seen firsthand how fear or desperation sometimes drove people to bargain away their dignity one crumb at a time. McLean, with his well-known soft spot for kids, looked truly distressed. Well, the best cure for that was hard work. The best cure for almost everything, according to the Chief, was hard work.

"All right, back to work, boys. I'm sure you have things to do. I'd appreciate an update on where you're at with the Lydgate family by the end of the day. It's not technically murder until we get a little more evidence. The D.A. doesn't like what you've got so far, so you'd better come up with something better or someone's gonna walk."

"Yes sir," said Ryo, taking the hint. "See you later, Chief."

"Yeah, bye Lt. 'Warren'," said Dee, shooting him a cocky grin.

The Chief couldn't help but grin back. Bastard.

&&&&&

"Hey, hey, Ryo, wait up," said Dee, hurrying behind his rapidly moving partner. "Where are we going now? Don't you know it's smoke time?"

"I don't know about you, but I'M going back to the fingerprint lab," retorted Ryo. "I spent a couple of hours this morning with Jeff, lifting prints off all those packages of heroin, but I only checked for Eddie's in front of him. Now we're going to look for a couple of bigger fish. Or at least I am. You'll probably be too busy smoking."

"Hey, I can skip the occasional smoke when things start getting interesting. Maybe we should have brought that girl in just so we could've fingerprinted her to eliminate hers from the mix."

Ryo shook his head. "Poor thing," he said. "But we don't need her. Like you said earlier, this evidence is inadmissible. All we're after is information. I don't care if the pope himself left prints on those bags. It's Abernathy and Shaver I want to nail."

Dee chuckled. "That's my little crusading worker ant."

&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 15


	16. Chapter 16

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**Pairing: ** Dee/Ryo

**Rating: ** This chapter HAD (as in past tense) a whole lot of sex in it, which I TOOK OUT so as not to get banned from this wonderfully supportive site. I mean, I really toned it down a lot. But you still shouldn't read it at work or school because Dee and Ryo do end up in bed together at the end of this chapter.

**Spoilers: ** To Volume 7

**Timing:** Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

**Summary: ** Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

**Author's notes:** I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. I don't watch any police or crime shows. In fact I barely watch any TV at all. I don't even read books about crime because I'm not particularly interested in the genre. However, I have done a certain amount of research in the interest of realism for this story. I know that fingerprint matches and drug tests in the police lab take longer in real life, and I'm sure the CSI people wouldn't have whipped through their job so quickly, either. I am taking certain liberties with these things in the interests of writing a (hopefully!) entertaining story that I need to keep moving at a reasonable clip. So please forgive any inaccuracies you might find with regards to police procedure, or feel free to point them out to me and I will respond.

Please read and review. Chapter 17 is already up on my Livejournal page, which I can't give you the address to because FF (dot) net doesn't allow direct links to other sites. If you want it _and if you are not a child_, just email me directly and I will be happy to give you the address. Even though there's no sex in chapter 17, my LJ page contains the other sexy and unedited chapters.

**Thank you** to _Blue Simplicity_ for all the praise, encouragement, searching questions and your unparalleled eye for detail.

**A New Day**_chapter 16_

"Grrr! Is that the best this stupid machine can do?" snarled Dee, giving the AFIS computer monitor a good shake.

"Dee! Stop that!" Ryo hissed, looking around nervously. "If Jeff sees you abusing his computer like that, he'll ban us both from the lab. It took me a long time to get him to trust me enough to let me use his workstation."

"But, dammit---"

"Simmer down. It's not the fault of the program if a print is smudged. It would have been nice to get some hard dirt on Abernathy this early in the game, but I never expected it to be easy." Ryo was regretting that Dee had decided to skip his cigarette because his irritable partner clearly needed one.

Dee muttered under his breath. He was disappointed that the fingerprint check had only produced one print that was a potential match for Abernathy's. It had been found on the small bag marked 'Yours', but it wasn't clear and it was only a partial print anyway.

Ryo tried to cheer him up. "Hey, at least we've got Shaver. He didn't touch the drugs, but his prints are all over the paper bag, along with Eddie's."

"Yeah, that's something, ain't it?" said Dee, cheering up a little. "It's worth paying that bastard another visit. You wanna go now? Let's give Andrea a call and find out if he's at his desk."

Ryo raised his eyebrows. "Is this really Dee Laytner suggesting we go out on a call when it's already ten minutes past quitting time?"

"Oh, I'd work a weekend without pay just to see the arrogant look wiped off that asshole's face," said Dee with a diabolical grin.

"No, I think he can keep 'til tomorrow. Remember the Chief asked us to work on the Lydgate case before we go home today."

"Yeah, and isn't it just like that damn walrus to give us another fucking deadline twenty minutes before the end of our shift?" Dee's bad mood was returning, and Ryo didn't like the way he was eyeing the AFIS computer.

"Come on, let's just put in an hour." Ryo hastily logged out and stood up.

"Okay, but I need a cigarette first. I'm going up to the roof, but I'll walk upstairs with you." Dee got out his cigarettes and put an unlit one in his mouth.

They exited the fingerprint room, and as they walked past the forensics lab, Dee asked, "Hey, what time did you get the drugs into the lab? Liz was waiting for 'em."

"Just before lunch," Ryo replied. "It took Jeff and me almost two hours to lift all the prints, so I couldn't get them to her earlier."

"I'd better go visit her later and make sure she doesn't forget about them."

A momentary look of irritation flashed across Ryo's face. "She's going to think you've got a crush on her with the amount of time you spend in there turning on the charm," he grumbled.

Dee was pleased. Was that a jealous note he heard in Ryo's voice? "No way, dude. She's a savvy city girl. She knows I'm a one-man man."

Ryo looked at him in alarm.

"No, I didn't tell her," Dee said quickly. "Get a grip, doofus. The whole damn building knows I've been chasing you for years. I can't stop now. That would produce suspicions for sure."

That reminded Ryo of what Drake had told him at lunch and all the pent-up resentment he had been holding inside him since then suddenly boiled up and over. Scowling at his partner, he snapped, "Well, apparently every precinct for miles around already believes I'm gay, and in fact did so long before I ever DID anything certifiably gay, and I have YOU to thank for that!"

This was hardly the time or place for this particular fight, however. He immediately repented his outburst because he certainly didn't want to talk about this issue here, and now Dee was going to demand an explanation. He subsequently lengthened his stride to put distance between himself and Dee, whose cigarette had just dropped out of his open mouth.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" called Dee, abandoning the attempt to keep up with him.

"Ask Drake," Ryo shot back over his shoulder before disappearing around a corner.

Looking perplexed, Dee retraced his steps and picked up the fallen smoke. He dusted it off and blew on it a couple of times before tucking it back into his mouth and heading for the roof. He was going to smoke that sucker before the day got any crazier and then he was going to find Drake and torture him for information. And after he got it, he may or may not torture him some more.

&&&&&

From the thoughtful way that his foster-dad had been looking at him throughout dinner, not to mention the oh-so-casual topics of conversation he was choosing, Bikky had a pretty good idea of what was coming. Thomas had given him the heads-up last night before bed, when Ryo had been reading in his room. Bikky had let Dee believe his most recent fight had had something to do with Carol, but it seemed that Thomas had blabbed that it had really been about Ryo. Good thing he had asked Carol to come over tonight. He hoped she would get here soon. He did NOT want to hear the inevitable lecture from Ryo; he knew what he was going to say, and as much as he loved him and wanted to please him, he had a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to agree to what Ryo would predictably demand.

Finally, Ryo put his fork down and pushed his plate away. "B," he said. "We need to--"

Just then the doorbell rang and Bikky sprang to his feet with alacrity. Thank God. "That's Carol. I'd better let her in."

"You didn't tell me Carol was coming over," Ryo said with a frown. "You're grounded. You're not supposed to be having visitors."

"Yeah, but this is a special case," Bikky called as he unlocked the door. "Hey Carol! Come on in. Did you bring your mealworm notes?"

"Huh?" She was momentarily confused, but saw the warning look on his face and caught on. "Yep, got 'em right here," she said cheerfully, patting her backpack. "Hi Ryo! I'm not interrupting dinner, am I?"

"No, no, we're all done."

"Oh that's good," she said. "I'm here to help Bikky study."

"Yeah, I got a big biology test on Friday," Bikky added, looking hopefully at Ryo. "I wanna get a good score." He was pretty sure Ryo wouldn't send Carol home now that she was here. And if she stayed, he would be safe from the inevitable interrogation for another couple of hours. If he was lucky, Ryo might even go to bed early.

But he had reckoned without Ryo's determination.

"Carol, would you excuse us for a little while? There's something I need to talk to Bikky about. We'll just go into his room, so you go ahead and help yourself to whatever you want in the fridge. There's milk and juice, or you can make yourself some tea if you prefer."

"Uh...okay." She looked uncertain. "Or, you know, I could go and come back later..." Her voice trailed away when she saw Bikky standing behind Ryo, waving his arms and shaking his head violently. "How about I just have some milk!" she said brightly, and headed for the fridge.

"Sure. We'll be back soon," said Ryo, who caught Bikky's eye and jerked his head toward the boy's room.

Once the door had closed behind them, Ryo moved a pile of books off Bikky's storage chest and sat down on it, resting his elbows on his knees. "Sit," he said, indicating the bed.

Bikky sat, and Ryo took a deep breath. "I had an interesting conversation with Thomas last night," he said.

"I know, and you're pissed about the fight all over again. But I'm already grounded for that, remember? You can't ground me twice for the same offense."

"I don't intend to. This time I want to talk about your reason for fighting."

Bikky waited. He wanted to find out where Ryo was going with this before he said anything.

"I understand you've been having some trouble at school and it's because of me."

Bikky shifted uncomfortably. Okay, it was what he had thought. "Ryo, I always had trouble at school. For lots of reasons."

"But now it's because your dad is...in a relationship with another man, right?"

"Yeah, but that's nothing new. That's been goin' on for years. And the shit I get for being a naturally blond 'jungle monkey'."

Ryo looked shocked. "They call you that?"

"Yeah, all the time. And other things too. I'm used to it."

"And do you fight them when they say those things?"

Bikky looked past Ryo at the door. "Sometimes," he said. "But I been trying to tone it down because you asked me to."

"Well why couldn't you tone it down the other night? Why couldn't you just ignore the guy who was using me to get a rise out of you?"

"Ryo...You know, if it's just me they're dissing, it's not so bad. I can handle it most of the time."

"I'm really sorry, Bikky. I'm sorry that you have to go through this because of me." Ryo bit his lip. "When you first came to live with me, you thought you were getting a straight foster-father, and now I've gone and pulled the rug out from under your feet. I don't know how to advise you, except of course to say that you don't have to fight for me. I'm an adult and I can fight for myself."

"Not in MY school, you can't. Get real, Ryo!" Nowadays Bikky often found himself dumbfounded at the things that came out of his foster-dad's mouth. Were they living on the same planet or what? Ryo must have had a sweet and innocent childhood like out of some old-time movie that had left him unable to imagine what life was like for kids today.

"Bikky, why can't you just let it go when the teasing starts and walk away? Is that really so hard?"

"Because sometimes...walking away is the wrong thing to do." Bikky hesitated, just in case Ryo got mad and started scolding, but when his foster father just looked at him questioningly, he gathered his nerve and went on. "Look, I know I'm just a kid, but in a few years I'll be a man. I can't just stand by and let some scumbag talk disrespectfully about someone I care about. I gotta call 'em on it, or I can't look at myself in the mirror, and if that leads to a fight, so be it, even if I lose."

"Bikky--"

"Could you?"

"Could I what?"

"Could you stand by while someone dissed a person you care about?"

"Well, that would depend. It'd depend on whether or not the 'dissing' was warranted or not. It would depend on whether the 'disser' was holding a gun... It's not that simple."

"What if it wasn't warranted, and there was no way you could die?"

"Well," Ryo paused uncertainly, not sure how Bikky had managed to turn the tables on him like this. "Well, in that case, I guess I would have to say something, but I think I could manage it without getting into a fight."

"I heard you talking to Dee. About Thomas' dad. You kind of got into a fight with him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, kind of. But he wasn't dissing anyone in particular. He was just being a jerk."

"Well, Dee seemed to be worried that your career might need emergency surgery. The jerk guy you took on has more power than you, doesn't he?"

"Yeah."

"He thought you were going to take sh-- I mean crap from him, but you didn't, did you?"

"Bikky, really, 'crap' is just as bad as 'shit'."

"No it's not, they're totally different. 'Shit' is worse."

"Never mind, we've gone off subject here. The point I was trying to make is that I'm not some kind of weakling you have to fight for. I don't want you to fight for me. I can fight my own battles."

"You weren't there to fight your own battles. And what would you have done if you had been? Punched out Adam Brody? I don't think so. Anyway, it was not only all over school, but it was getting out of hand. I took care of it." Bikky looked at the door again. Carol was right behind it; he was sure of that now.

"Bikky, you should have talked to one of your teachers. Or told me. Or just ignored them." Ryo was wearing that stubborn expression that Bikky and Dee both knew so well.

"If I had, I couldn't live with myself."

At that point, the door opened and Carol stood there looking flushed but determined. "Ryo, I'm so sorry, but I've got to say something." The words tumbled out of her in a rush, as though she expected to be momentarily interrupted and sent away. "Firstly, most people are like sheep. They just follow whoever they think is a leader without really thinking about it. They all would have just joined in with Adam and his gang if Bikky had ignored them. And anyway, there were a couple of unexpected benefits as a result of that fight. Now, the gay students we have in our school, not that there's that many of them, are all breathing a little easier. By standing up for your right to be gay, Bikky advanced their cause a little. Second, you don't have to apologize for being gay. We love you for who you are, straight or gay. And please forgive me for interfering. I mean no disrespect." She bowed her head, aware that she had just taken a huge liberty with a man who had always been kind and generous to her.

Ryo blinked at her, not sure what to say. First of all, it made Bikky sound so noble for brawling, and secondly, Carol had just said he was gay. _Am I gay?_ he asked himself. _Is that my new label? And am I apologizing for it?_ With difficulty he forced his mind to return doggedly to his point, which was no more fighting, or at least, dramatically less fighting for Bikky.

"Carol, Bikky, this conversation is over. No more fighting, and I mean it this time." His voice had the ring of authority, but in his heart he knew he had lost that round. He needed to go away and think about what Bikky had said. He also needed to think through what he had learned from Drake earlier, so he could decide how to proceed. He stood up to gain the further advantage of his height over them, and added. "You may as well get busy studying for that...mealworm test, or whatever it is."

"Yeah, Bikky's mealworms died," said Carol innocently, "so he's not going to know how to answer the second half of the test questions. You want to know how they died? It's really funny." She ignored the way Bikky was glaring at her.

"No thanks," said Ryo. "I'm sure I'd be happier not knowing." He left the room and went to the kitchen, where he poured himself a glass of wine. _Congratulations, super-dad_, he told himself dejectedly. _You certainly handled THAT well. _He had to think. There just hadn't been any time for reflection in the last few days. Everything was changing so fast around him and he needed to know how to function in this totally new life he had suddenly been plunked down in the middle of. _If I'm really gay, I wish there was some kind of manual because I don't know how to be gay. And apparently I don't know how to be an effective parent either._ He sat on the sofa, sipping his wine, and his thoughts went to his IA nemesis, Mike Abernathy. _But I do know how to be a good cop, _he thought grimly. _And I don't care how long it takes me, but I'm going to nail your ass to the wall, Lieutenant._

The phone rang loudly, disturbing his dark thoughts.

"McLean?" It was the Chief's gravelly voice. "Better get your butt down to the Westington. We got a dead hooker here who seems to have OD'd snorting heroin through a rolled up business card -- yours."

"What the--? Black girl, young, yellow dress?"

"That's the one. CSI's going over the scene right now, but I think they'll be done soon. I'm putting you in charge because you seem to know something about it. Is that no-good partner of yours there with you?"

"No, sir," Ryo said, slightly defensively. "Why would he be? He doesn't live here, you know. "

"Well, give him a call and get him to meet you at the scene. You guys are going to be putting in some overtime tonight."

&&&&&&

Detectives McLean and Laytner stood over the corpse of the girl whom they had talked to just that morning. She was covered in dried vomit and her once-beautiful brown skin was mottled with dark purplish-red patches from the effects of livor mortis.

"So it's an OD?" Dee asked the nearest CSI tech.

"Yeah," she replied, giving his lithe but powerful form an appreciative look. "See this?" She pointed to a little plastic bag partially under Tammy's body. It appeared to contain a coarse white granulated powder.

Ryo frowned as he took in the fact that the bag had a label on it. And he couldn't read the whole thing, but he could have sworn it said 'Yo--' something. Yours. It probably said 'Yours', like the bag he had dusted for prints earlier.

"Hey, can we take that? Are you guys done with the photography and all?"

"Yeah, pretty much. We've swept for fibers, dead skin cells and hair, and I think Gill has taken all the pictures he's going to. What was that, Gill?"

"I said the coroner's people are downstairs. They're coming up to take her away."

"Oh thanks," she replied, and turned back to Dee and Ryo. "Hear that? You can have the dope."

Ryo bent down and tugged it gently out from under Tamara with one gloved hand. He dropped it into a plastic zip-lock bag that Dee held open for him, and tucked it carefully into his pocket.

"Did she have any ID?" he asked the woman.

She shook her head. "Not even a library card. That'll make it hard to contact her family."

Dee was looking around. "He came back after we left," he said to Ryo. "Some of his stuff is gone. There was a tool kit here earlier."

"Yeah, and a couple of laptops, too." said Ryo.

They walked about carefully, their street shoes covered with protective booties.

"Was the door locked?" Dee asked the woman.

"Not according to the manager," she replied.

That meant Eddie had probably gone out the window a second time that day. But before or after this girl died? They'd need to find out if there were any witnesses around who would sell what they knew for the price of a pack of smokes. And they had to find Eddie, for a whole lot of reasons.

"What's your guess on the time of death?" Dee asked his partner.

"Ten to twelve hours, but let's ask the coroner's people when they get here."

"I think so too. I bet this happened right after we left." He turned to a cop in uniform who looked familiar. "Hey, buddy, this your beat?"

"Yeah. Officer Perlman. Call me Mac. I know you -- Detective Laytner, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. And this is my partner, Detective--"

"Randy McLean. I heard of you too."

As Ryo shook hands with him, he couldn't help but wonder how the man knew of them. He hoped it wasn't the effects of the 'gay' rumor surfacing again. Dammit, he was starting to get paranoid about this.

"Yeah, you guys got yourselves a rep for being quite the star detectives, huh?"

"We do?" Ryo hoped his extreme relief didn't show on his face.

"Hell, yeah. When you guys solved the Mueller case last year-- the one where that disabled kid had been missing for years -- it just blew me away. That was a dead file. The trail was cold enough to chill a beer on."

Dee and Ryo responded at precisely the same time, Dee saying, "It was all him, man," and Ryo saying, "Well, it was Dee who figured--" and Mac broke into a smile. It was clear why this partnership worked.

"You're going to want to know about witnesses, I take it," he said.

"Yeah. Have you got any?" asked Ryo.

"You bet. There are a couple guys downstairs who said they saw a junkie coming down the fire escape around noon. I told 'em not to go anywhere."

"How about the desk clerk?" asked Dee.

"Oh he didn't see nothin'. He's got it in for the police, that one."

"Yeah, I know the type. He'll change his tune, just you watch."

"Come on, guys, I'll take you down and point them out to you," Mac offered.

"Sure, Mac. Just give us a second, okay?" Ryo had spotted three staffers from the coroner's office outside the door, accompanied by a wheeled stretcher. The two detectives conferred with them briefly and established that the autopsy would probably take place Friday morning.

"You can call for the results a couple of days after that," one of the men said, handing Ryo a card. Dee made a mental note to start phoning and bugging them around noon on Friday.

"Let's get this into the lab right after we're done with the witnesses," Ryo said, referring to the small bag of heroin. Dee nodded in assent and they left the depressing little room for the second time that day. It had gone from being a shabby and unappealing bedroom to a chamber of death in the space of a few hours. He offered up a silent prayer for Tammy as they went down the stairs_. Lord, please take care of her. Forgive her and love her because she sure didn't have an easy time of it down here. _And then he added a prayer for himself, his eyes on the light brown hair and broad shoulders of the man walking before him. _Lord, please help me find a way to keep him. Don't let him push me out of his life._

&&&&&&

When they got to the lab, they were surprised to find Liz still working.

"Hey, sweetheart, what's with the overtime?" chided Dee. "Can't a beautiful woman like you get a date on a Wednesday night?"

"I'm doing overtime for extra vacation days next month," she told him, obviously enjoying having been called beautiful. Liz was not exactly beautiful, but she did have an impressive pair of legs that she was not averse to showing off. "I'm going to the Bahamas with a couple of girlfriends. We'd offer to take you along if you promised to wait on us hand and foot."

"Aw come on, Liz, don't tempt me like that. You know I can't leave my sweet, innocent partner alone with all the wolves in this building."

"Why don't you come too, Randy?" She smiled coyly up at him. "It'd be a blast."

"Nah, he'd have to bring his kid and that little twerp would spoil everything. Trust me," said Dee. He noticed that Ryo was wearing the blank expression that he always put on whenever he was irritated with a woman, so he quickly steered the conversation in a more professional direction. "I don't suppose you had time to check through that pack o' smack we brought you this morning?"

"As a matter of fact I did," she informed him. "It was actually rather interesting." She leafed through a pile of files on her desk until she found the one she was looking for and flipped it open. "You had seventeen bundles of B-grade heroin cut with the usual household products, but it was this little one that really caught my attention." She reached into the plastic tray that contained their work order and held up the small bag that had the 'Yours' label with a pair of slender tongs.

Both detectives looked at her avidly and it gave her great pleasure to be able to tell them something that they really wanted to hear. These were the moments she lived for in this frequently unrewarding job.

"There was enough fentanyl in this one to kill a horse," she said. "Good thing you got it off the streets."

Dee and Ryo stared at each other and then Ryo mutely pulled out the matching bag from his pocket.

"This one killed someone today. Could you possibly check it out for us?"

"But be real careful with the bag," said Dee. "We need to tape it for prints later."

"I'll do it right now, and you can take the bag," she said. "Now that I know what I'm testing for, this shouldn't take long at all."

&&&&&&

"What the hell? You expect ME to do your dirty work for you? This is un-friggin'-believable. And aren't I still grounded?" Bikky stood mutinously in the ratty sweat pants and oversized T-shirt he usually wore to bed. He had not had a particularly successful evening. The tight tank top Carol had been wearing had made it hard for him to concentrate on his homework, and even when Ryo had cleared out and left them alone together, she had rebuffed his, he now realized, clumsy attempt to kiss her. In addition to that, there was a party on Friday night for the basketball team and the cheerleaders to celebrate their win over Tremayne, and due to the fact that he was grounded, he would be the only person who wouldn't be there. And now here were Ryo and the perv, expecting him to run down Eddie for them at their friggin' convenience, like a good little hunting dog.

Ryo gritted his teeth. "Bikky, we just want to talk to him. I swear to you that I will not arrest him unless he commits a crime right in front of me."

"Well, I may not even be able to find him, you know. You guys have busted in on him twice now. You can bet he's gone to ground. Might take me a couple days..."

Dee was not in a particularly patient mood. "Cut the crap, punk. You could track him down in an hour. Two, tops. Now do you think he'd be happier if you find him for us, or if the whole of the goddamn NYPD starts looking out for him?"

"You're bluffing, loser! You don't have that kind of clout!"

"Just try me, scum-monkey. And when they haul him in for us, I'll be sure to tell him about how you could have helped but didn't give enough of a shit to spare him some aggravation."

"Dee, stop pressing his buttons," said Ryo. He turned to Bikky. "Look, we think Eddie might be involved in something that's gonna get him into some pretty bad trouble. We just want to talk to him and find out how deep he's into it, okay? No arresting, no trips to the station."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Bikky warily.

"I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you."

"Lemme think about it," muttered Bikky. "I'll let you know in a little while." He stalked off to his room and defiantly gave Dee the finger before shutting the door with a bang.

Ryo put a hand to his head. "I'm really not happy about involving Bikky," he said.

"Me neither," said Dee. "But it looks like someone's decided that Eddie has outlived his usefulness. What happened to that hooker was meant for him. It'd be in his and our best interests if we found him first and got him to cooperate." He stretched and his eyes ranged in the direction of the kitchen. "Got anything to eat around here?"

"Didn't you eat dinner?"

"Yeah, but it was only a couple of slices of really old leftover pizza."

"There's stew in the fridge, if you want it. And bring that bottle of Chianti that's on the kitchen counter." Ryo sat wearily down on the sofa and picked up the glass of wine he had abandoned a couple of hours before.

In the kitchen, Dee rooted around in the fridge until he found the stew. Things were looking up. He was back in Ryo's apartment on a night when he had expected not to be, he had been given permission to make himself at home in the kitchen, and his lover wanted to drink wine, which definitely opened up possibilities for later. Best of all, Ryo didn't seem to have enough energy to continue the fight he had started earlier.

Ryo drank wine while Dee polished off the stew, and they discussed the case. First thing the next morning, they had to go talk to the Chief and tell him about the fentanyl-laced heroin. What had initially appeared to be an overdose was now looking like murder. And if they didn't find Eddie soon, there was likely to be another death. Eddie was suddenly an important witness to a murder case, if not an accessory. And then there was Ned Shaver. They had to catch him early and scare him into talking. Liz had confirmed for them that the second 'Yours' bag contained the same deadly mixture as the first. Unfortunately, it had not yielded any useful prints, but they still had the partial print on the first bag that had a 28 probability factor of being Abernathy's. Inadmissible in more ways than one. They decided that if they could get Shaver to bring up Abernathy without being prompted, they would exaggerate that percentage in an upward direction.

"Then again, the Chief might not want us to talk to him," Ryo said thoughtfully. "He might want him put under surveillance for a while. Abernathy too."

"Too risky. Someone would talk. Besides, they're cops. I'd know in five seconds flat if I was under surveillance. Wouldn't you? Nah, I think our best chance is to go full-frontal on Shaver and see if a murder one charge will be enough for him to sell out Abernathy."

They heard Bikky's door bang open, and he came back into the living room and stood regarding the two men with his arms folded across his chest.

"Okay, I thought about it. Here's the deal. I'll find him for you and I'll put him on the phone. If you can talk him into a meeting, then go for it. But at least you can say what you gotta say and maybe get a few of the answers you need. Is that good enough?"

Ryo nodded. "Thanks Bikky."

"And even though doofus here thinks I can find him in an hour, there's no way I can. I got school tomorrow and basketball practice at four. I'll head out after that, and I ain't making any promises. Got that?"

"What about dinner?" Ryo asked.

"Just gimme some money for a burger and I'll grab something on the way. Right now I gotta make some phone calls."

"Go for it, Bik." Dee handed him the phone, which Bikky snatched with a withering glare. He turned around and marched back to his room.

Ryo glanced at Dee. "At least he didn't slam the door this time," he remarked.

"More wine?" suggested Dee, picking up the bottle. Ryo was starting to look relaxed, which was a good sign. Plus, he was kind of excited about the new developments of today and the chance to turn the tables on Mike Abernathy. Dee hoped that was going to add up to some sweet moaning and pounding later. They hadn't had sex since Saturday night, and now it was Wednesday. In Dee's opinion, that was three days too long. Above all, he wanted the closeness, the intimacy. The last couple of days had been really tough. He wanted another opportunity to remind Ryo how good he could make him feel.

He was used to Ryo's mercurial moods. He accepted it as part of the territory, but today he felt that Ryo had gone through every mood in his repertoire. But the worst moment was when he'd flared up in resentment about an alleged rumor going around that he was gay, which he considered to be all Dee's fault. Dee had subsequently gotten the details from Drake. He scowled at the memory. That idiot Drake had to go making trouble by telling Ryo something that he probably never would have found out on his own, and Dee had told him off for it.

"What the hell did you have to go and do that for?" he had complained bitterly to Drake. "Are you trying to jam me up here?"

"Sorry, man. I just thought he had a right to know."

"Yeah, that just totally sucks!" Ted interjected. "Quit laughing, Marty. This is no joke. I haven't been laid for months and it's probably all your fault, Dee. And you, JJ! Quit fucking flaming all over the city! Or at least tell 'em you're still Bronx."

"I do NOT flame," protested JJ, offended. "And if you haven't been laid for months, it's probably due more to your own shortcomings than to a half-baked rumor which I think everyone's blowing out of proportion."

"Yeah, you can afford to think that because you're already gay," put in James, Eliza's partner. "But what about those of us who aren't, huh?" But he was laughing. "Oh well, at least now I have a good excuse when my mom asks me why I don't find a nice girl and settle down."

Dee admitted to himself that he was a little hurt that Ryo still seemed so horrified about being thought gay by other people. To him, it was so straightforward. He never had been a guy who could live life in the closet, always trembling lest his shameful secret be discovered. But he had known many people over the years who had made the choice to keep their sexual orientation personal, so it wasn't totally outside his thinking. Ryo had made no bones about the fact that he was not ready to be out, that it was too soon. He wanted time to get used to his new life first before he told the world about it. Dee accepted this. He was so happy to have Ryo's beautiful body surrendering to him in bed, and more than that, to have his love on an emotional and exclusive basis. He had been willing to accept Ryo on just about any terms he chose to set.

He wondered for the hundredth time if Ryo loved him enough to withstand the pressures of living a gay lifestyle in an often homophobic world.

Well, faint heart never won sexy man, he told himself and joined Ryo on the couch. Once there, he reached down and picked up Ryo's feet, gently pulling them up onto his lap.

"Whoah--what are you doing?" Ryo hastily set his wine glass down on the coffee table with a clink.

"Did I ever tell you about my foot fetish?" asked Dee, removing his partner's slippers and then his socks.

"No, but perhaps now would be a good time." The corner of Ryo's mouth was curved in a slight smile.

"Well, it's been a great embarrassment to me over the years." Dee held Ryo's right foot with one hand and began pressing slow but firm circles into his heel with the fingers of his other hand. "Whenever I see a beautiful set of feet on a man or a woman, I immediately get the urge to get them somewhere near my dick."

Ryo chuckled and thumped his other foot up and down on Dee's lap, dangerously close to his crotch. "Could be dangerous."

"Yes, but the danger is an important part of the allure." Dee smiled and continued to work Ryo's foot rhythmically. He was gratified to note that his partner's face was starting to assume an expression of bliss. "I don't know why the good lord saw fit to heap so many indecent perversions on one man, but heap he did, and here I am making love to your right foot."

"Don't forget the left foot," murmured Ryo sleepily. "That's the jealous one."

"Well, I just might have to suck the toes of the left one, in that case."

"Don't you dare. No toe-sucking."

"We'll see," whispered Dee, switching his attentions to the other foot. Ryo let out a soft groan of appreciation and let his head fall back on the sofa cushions. This was not the first time Dee had used a foot massage to get close to Ryo. He had learned about 6 months ago that Ryo couldn't resist having his feet rubbed after a long day. He didn't always give in to temptation in those days, but there was nothing to stop him now.

Dee didn't move off Ryo's feet and on to more interesting body parts, because he was betting on one more visit from the monkey-brat before the night was through, even though it was pushing ten o'clock, which was close to bedtime. The whole household rose early whenever Ryo was on second shift because although he started work earlier than Bikky started school, he didn't trust Bikky to get himself up and out to school on time. This had been a point of contention between them for as long as Dee could remember.

Almost as though Dee's thoughts had summoned him, Bikky padded back into the living room with the phone. He took one look at the tableau on the sofa and rolled his eyes. "I brought the phone back," he announced loudly, and Ryo opened his sleepy eyes and instinctively began to jerk his feet off Dee's lap. Dee held on to them firmly, and Ryo's impulse subsided.

"Thanks, Bikky," he said. "Going to bed now?"

"Right after I check my email," muttered Bikky, with a resentful look at Dee. "I got some info on Eddie. I think he's in Queens. I got a couple of neighborhoods where I can ask about him from one of the guys."

"Call my cell if you need a ride," said Dee.

"Uh, thanks. Maybe for the way home if it's late. Now quit talking to me. I gotta concentrate."

"Oh certainly, Your Majesty." Dee turned his attention toward Ryo, who was blinking sleepily. "Can I stay?" he whispered.

Ryo nodded. "You might as well," he murmured. "But just for sleeping. I'm beat."

"I can _hear_ you," Bikky said from his place at the computer, and gave them a quick glare over his shoulder.

Dee cursed him inwardly, and resolved to do his utmost to change Ryo's mind once they got into the bedroom. In order to have a shot at that, there was no way he could let Ryo take a shower first. If Ryo showered first, he'd be fast asleep by the time Dee had had his turn, and Ryo could be incredibly grumpy if anyone woke him up from a deep sleep.

"Hey Ryo, mind if I have a shower?"

"Go ahead. Help yourself to a towel from the linen closet."

"You'd better not be in the shower tomorrow morning when I'm trying to get ready for school, doofus," grumbled Bikky warningly.

"YOU'D better not be in the shower when I'M trying to get ready for work, brat," retorted Dee.

"Just cut it out, you two," said Ryo. "It's too late for this."

When Dee disappeared off to the bathroom, Ryo straightened up the sofa cushions and looked a little wistfully at Bikky's back as the boy tapped away on the computer keyboard. He remembered the days when Bikky always used to come to him for a hug and a kiss goodnight. As a lonely, orphaned ten-year-old, Bikky had been starved for affection when he first came to live with Ryo. They used to touch a lot more in those days than they did now. There had been many an evening spent sitting close together on the sofa while watching TV, or presenting a united front as partners against Dee and whichever one of Bikky's friends was there during board or card games. Bikky had recently had a birthday at the end of April and at thirteen was now officially one of those surly teenagers Ryo had heard so much about. But even when he was still only twelve, he had already started pulling away and demanding more autonomy. Ryo wondered if he would ever get a hug goodnight from his foster-son again, or if those days were over for good. Change was inevitable of course, but for a creature of habit like Ryo, it was sometimes hard to accept.

He got up and cleared away Dee's empty stew bowl and took his wine glass and the remaining Chianti back to the kitchen. He was just jamming the cork back into the bottle when Dee stepped out of the bathroom and called out, "It's all yours, bro."

Ryo took one last look at Bikky who was deep in concentration at the computer, and gave up on having any more contact with him that evening.

Bikky felt Ryo's gaze on his back but did not turn around. Damn Ryo for bringing the perv-man back here tonight. No sooner was Tom out the door than Dee was right back in like a dirty shirt. It was so friggin' hard being grounded and stuck in this prison of an apartment with those two. He fantasized about the day when he'd have his own place and there wouldn't be any damn homework or chores, and he could have parties whenever he felt like and stay out as late as he wanted with no one to tell him what to do and make him get up early.

&&&&&&&&

In the shower, Ryo soaped himself down efficiently, and felt nothing at all when his slippery hands passed over his flaccid sex. He just wanted to retreat into his former non-sexual persona until he had had a chance to process recent events. Life had been simpler back when he had kept a tighter lid on his sexuality. Tonight, because there was no time to think and his body and mind were weary, what he wanted most was to lose himself in sleep.

He ran a comb through his damp hair and loosely buttoned up his pajamas and thought that if he could manage to fall asleep in the next 15 minutes, he just might get close to seven hours' sleep. But when he opened the door of the bedroom and heard soft jazz music playing and saw Dee waiting for him in bed with an expression on his face that was both expectant and seductive, all at once he knew that despite his discouraging words in the living room and despite his fatigue, his body wanted that man in his bed. He didn't know why or how, especially when he was so tired, because he didn't understand himself at all. It was just that suddenly it didn't matter whether he was straight, gay, bi, or asexual: just looking at the planes of Dee's face, his eyes, his lips, the silky skin on his naked hairless chest, was making him hard.

Their eyes met and Dee understood. A slow grin broke over his face, and he stripped back the blankets to reveal that he was already naked. Ryo walked toward the bed as though drawn by a magic spell, unbuttoning his pajama top and casting it aside as he went. He put one knee on the bed and reached out a bold hand to Dee's chest, and the next thing he knew, Dee had grabbed him and hauled Ryo astride him. Ryo rested his hands on his knees and Dee's hands slid up and gripped his elbows. They looked at each other in total silence for a few moments, eyes ranging over each other's faces and bodies in mutual admiration and desire.

"Dee," Ryo whispered. "I don't want to think anymore tonight. Take my stress away, please."

Dee just nodded and pulled him down into a hungry kiss, to which Ryo responded with instant passion. It was hard and clean and an honest expression of how much they just plain wanted each other. It wasn't long before Dee had rolled Ryo onto his back and divested him of his pajama bottoms. He didn't waste much time on foreplay. That wasn't what Ryo wanted. He needed a good, hard fucking and he was making that perfectly clear. Dee went straight for the gold, wrapping his hand around Ryo's erection and jacking it skillfully while kissing Ryo briefly again. When he dragged his lips off Ryo's and buried his face against the side of his neck, the scent of his lover in that wonderfully sensitive place nearly drove him insane. He gasped and bit, giving one quick suck, before suddenly remembering how pissed off Ryo had been the day after a make-out session a few months back when Dee had left a love bite on him that peeked above his shirt collar. He moved lower and bit him again and was incredibly turned on when a low growl rumbled out of Ryo. He was going to be noisy, Bikky or no, Dee just knew it. He would try and fail to be quiet. The bedsprings were going to creak mightily and the headboard was going to thump against the wall when Dee got down to business, which was pretty damn imminent by the feel of things. Without slackening the rhythm of his pumping hand, he moved lower on Ryo and used his teeth and tongue to arouse him further, loving the way the other man was panting and thrusting upward into his hand. When Ryo's hands pushed down against Dee's head and shoulder, he obeyed the command instantly; it had been his destination anyway, and his mouth was ready and wet, so wet with the wanting of Ryo.

Dee drew upon all his experience and skill to give his lover what he needed, and Ryo, in his passionate and vocal response, exceeded all of Dee's expectations. Their lovemaking was much more fiery than usual, and it left Dee feeling amazed and enthralled because this was a totally new side of Ryo that he had not yet experienced until tonight. Dee had gone all the way with Ryo less than a dozen times since the sexual part of their relationship had begun, and though it had been apparent that Ryo loved it from his very first time, Dee had not expected this level of aggression to surface for several more months. He did his best to satisfy the suddenly wanton creature under him, and he knew he had met with success when Ryo suddenly clung tightly to him and begged him, in urgent tones, not to stop. "That's my baby," Dee soothed. "Come on, just let it go." The moment had arrived and all Ryo could do was to turn his face into Dee's neck and muffle his final cry of release there. Dee had gained his own release a minute or two before, and he held Ryo close to him until the quaking had subsided.

Finally, Ryo rolled sleepily away from him, saying "Owww..." and squeezing his thighs and buttocks together.

"Does it hurt?" Dee asked, concerned.

"Yeah, but not enough that I can't sleep. Make sure the alarm clock's on, okay?" His voice was starting to thicken as his body relaxed.

"Hey how come you're on my side of the bed?"

"Big wet spot... on mine..." and Ryo was gone.

_Oh, Ryo..._Dee thought ruefully. _You're gonna be sore and embarrassed when we meet Bikky at the breakfast table tomorrow._ He chuckled to himself. Bet that brat had to scramble for his earphones tonight. Oh well. No doubt it was an education for him.

He lifted one cold, sticky hand and looked down at the sheets in the soft lamplight. Ryo was right. That was one honkin' big wet spot. He got up, stretched, and went to get a couple of spare towels from the closet. He used one of them to wipe the sticky mess off his own stomach, and then used the same one to gently clean between Ryo's thighs and buttocks. Ryo responded by grumbling incoherently and swatting him away. Dee then picked up the second towel, which he spread over the clammy wet area of the bed. He pressed the 'on' button for the alarm clock, turned off the lamp and then lay down and snuggled up to the unconscious man beside him. What an awesome ending to an up and down day. He sighed in contentment, his nose buried against Ryo's hair.

As long as he could go to bed every night next to his beloved Ryo, he wouldn't mind sleeping on the wet spot for the rest of his life.

&&&&&&&

end of chapter 16


	17. Chapter 17

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**A New Day Chapter 17 **

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: Fake

Rating: Okay, we're back to worksafe, kids. You can uncover your eyes now. Hope you're not too traumatized by that last lemon, but if you read it here at FF (dot) net, it was tamed down considerably, so you're probably wondering what I'm talking about.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: There are more author's notes at the end this time, too. But up front, I just want to say that I have taken the liberty of inventing some imaginary streets in New York to go with the imaginary places and people I'm working with. I have also put the detectives of the 27th on a 7am to 3pm to 11pm to 7am rotating 24-hour set of shifts, which is consistent with my other stories, but not consistent with shifts worked by actual NYC detectives. My Fake stories are all set in the same timeline and follow a sequence, although I am not writing or publishing them in chronological order. If my altered shifts and imaginary streets end up preventing a significant number of people from being able to enjoy other elements of the story, I will consider making changes.

Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction and a whole assortment of things has been changed to suit the pacing and style of the story. For example, CSI investigations, fingerprint analyses and lab tests have all been speeded up from the snail's pace at which they occur in real life, and I have done that to keep the plot moving at a more interesting speed. And although in real life, I have been publishing chapters of this story since October of 2006 and it's now July of 2007, only about two weeks have gone by since Dee and Ryo woke up together after the night they first went to the Vietnamese restaurant, so it's still early days in their newly-changed relationship.

Chapter 18 is up on my livejournal. If you want to check it out, either email me for the address or look at one of the earlier chapters of this story. I think I've listed my LJ address at the beginning of almost every chapter.

_**Thank you **_to **BlueSimplicity** for so devotedly continuing to beta for me through thick and thin. I adore you, as you know!

**&&&&&&&&&**

**A New Day** _chapter 17_

Ryo's mind tumbled awake to the shrill sound of the alarm clock. He reached out blindly to switch it off, his one thought being to make that aggravating noise stop. But the nightstand wasn't where it ought to be and Dee seemed to be in the wrong place. He sat up quickly and leaned across the slumbering man beside him. It took him a couple of tries, but when he had managed to hit the off button, and blessed silence had returned, he looked around him in some consternation. What was he doing on this side of the bed? And what was that gross-looking towel doing there? He lifted the covers and gaped in horror at the condition of the sheets, and as he did so, the memories of the night before rushed into his mind and his face heated with self-consciousness as he recalled how he had behaved. How on earth was he going to face Bikky? And the neighbors? What if someone complained? What could he possibly say? It seemed like he hurt all over. He put a hand to his head. He should have known better than to drink three glasses of red wine. He was okay with white, but red he had to be careful with, as it often gave him a headache unless it was organic. What had gotten into him?

But the duties of the day called and there was no time to beat himself up over what was done. He would just have to brazen through it somehow. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to though. He must never let that happen again. He grabbed his robe from inside the closet and went to the kitchen to put coffee on before he started his shower.

At 5:45, he banged on Bikky's door and called to him to wake up. He did the same for Dee, and repaired to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Whichever one of them could roll out of bed first could have first dibs at the shower. May the best man win.

It turned out to be Bikky, and as Ryo heard him running the water in the bathroom, he went to check on Dee who was still sleeping like a log. Dammit, he wasn't going to let Dee abandon him to face Bikky alone on this of all mornings. He shook him ruthlessly awake, and even the extreme tiredness in Dee's face and voice didn't arouse sympathy in him. He knew Dee hadn't been sleeping well recently, but he was not going to allow Dee to make him late.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Bikky stood sleepily in the shower, letting the hot water run over his face and hair and gradually wash his drowsiness down the drain along with the suds. Bikky was not a morning person, and he always hated the moment when the bang on his door and the shout from Ryo came. He especially hated waking up on mornings when Ryo was working first shift.

Bikky had a separate morning routine for each of the three shifts that Ryo was likely to work. When his foster-father was on second shift, he had a start time of three pm, but he got up in the morning to get Bikky up. On those days, it was Bikky's habit to lie in bed as long as possible, then rush to the bathroom to perform his ablutions as quickly and, according to Ryo, as messily as possible before dashing to the door and trying to leave without eating any breakfast. Ryo would always make him at least take a piece of toast or a fried egg sandwich with him. When Ryo was on third shift, he had a start time of eleven pm and he got off shift at seven am. He would usually take the double precautions of not only setting the alarm clock for Bikky before he left for work, but also calling him to wake up before he left the precinct to come home. Left to himself, Bikky was notorious for hitting the snooze button one too many times and then having to get ready in a mad scramble. Apparently, Dee did exactly the same thing and Ryo frequently lectured both of them about it. Ryo would usually arrive home at half past seven and throw some breakfast together for Bikky before the boy charged out the door at around eight.

However, when Ryo was on first shift, he had a start time of seven a.m. and Bikky hated those mornings most of all. Ryo would usually get up at 5:00 am, and do what he had to do in the bathroom first before anyone else woke up. (Dee, if he was there, as he so often seemed to be, was often still asleep) Then Ryo would prepare breakfast. He usually made sandwiches for Bikky or sent him to school with money for the cafeteria. He tried to make sandwiches though, because he felt there was more nourishment in homemade food. (Bikky still winced with embarrassment when he remembered the time Ryo had come to his school to inspect the offerings at the cafeteria and had found them nutritionally lacking.) On the dreaded first shift mornings, he made Bikky get up at 5:45 or 6:00 am and they all left the house together at 6:30. Due to one or two unfortunate incidents where Ryo had trusted Bikky to get himself to school on time and it hadn't actually worked out that way, NOT leaving the house with Ryo at 6:30 had become non-negotiable. Bikky's classes at school didn't start until 8:30 and he only needed thirty-five minutes to get there on foot. He didn't relish the idea of arriving at school an hour and a half early. Some kids did, but they were dismissed as geeks. He certainly wasn't going to risk getting lumped in with the geeks.

Pretty soon he had hit upon the idea of going to Carol's place and accompanying her to school. Carol was always delighted to see him, which was one of the many things he loved about her. Thinking about her now cheered him up considerably. Wait 'til he told her about the shit Ryo and the perv had pulled last night. That had been his DAD in there making all that noise! Even though Bikky was a child of the streets and by no means ignorant as to what lovers did in bed together, he still felt a little bit shocked. Somehow he hadn't expected _that._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo exited the bedroom with his chosen tie for the day hanging loosely around his neck. He always saved putting on his tie for the last minutes before leaving the house, because he didn't like to risk getting food on it as he prepared breakfast. To Ryo, a soiled tie was the essence of unprofessionalism. He encountered Bikky emerging from his room with damp hair, but otherwise looking more or less ready to go, and directed him to go and eat something. Ryo was trying his best to act normal. He was hoping that Bikky wouldn't say anything about any noises he may have heard the night before. He was almost afraid to look into his son's eyes for fear of the, in his opinion, well-deserved judgment and censure he might see there. Accordingly he kept out of the kitchen while Dee and Bikky eyed each other across the breakfast table. At first there was no talking as they munched toast and cereal and swilled coffee and orange juice, respectively. When Ryo appeared to pour more coffee into Dee's cup, Bikky threw down his napkin.

"How'd you guys sleep last night?" he asked with a challenging look.

Ryo flushed to the roots of his hair and Dee narrowed his eyes at Bikky. "Why, like a baby, monkey-brat. How'd the 'homework session' with Carol go, by the way?"

It was Bikky's turn to flush and his eyes flashed with anger. Fucking bastard. How did he always _know_?

"I shoulda got up and done some extra homework last night, since it was a sure bet no one on this entire floor was going to get any friggin' SLEEP until a certain pair of 'lovey-dovey' jackrabbits got their rocks off!"

Dee leaned back in his chair and gave Bikky an assessing look. Then he said over his shoulder, without really looking at Ryo, "You know, now that I think about it, since he's not really using those headphones, maybe you should confiscate them after all."

But he was arrested by the suddenly remorseful expression on Bikky's face as he looked past him to Ryo. Dee turned around and saw the mortification on Ryo's face, which was bad enough, but nothing compared to the self-recrimination in his eyes. Sympathy for Ryo, rage against Bikky and fear for himself all warred within him, and he turned back to blast Bikky, but found he didn't have the heart. The kid clearly regretted it. He was sitting very still, looking down at his plate in silence. Dee saw that it was up to him to break the unnatural silence that had descended.

"Well, if we're all done with feeling bad for the time-being, are you guys ready to go? Maybe we'll beat the cross-town traffic."

&&&&&&&&&&&

Dee glanced anxiously at Ryo as his partner drove. The man literally had not spoken a word since Bikky's outburst at the breakfast table, not even to say good-bye when Bikky had jumped out of the car across from the Lampson Street bus stop.

"You know he didn't mean--"

"Dee, stop." Ryo's voice was flat.

"But--"

"I said stop." His voice was hard. Dee stopped.

Dee rolled down his window and reached with slightly unsteady hands for his cigarettes. He lit one and sucked the comforting nicotine into his lungs, grateful for the way it instantly soothed the rough edges of his jangled nerves. He leaned his elbow out the window and watched the buildings, intersections and traffic roll by, thinking, _Come on Ryo. Get over it. He'll get used to it. This happens to straight people too. _

Ryo's cell phone rang, but he ignored it.

"You gonna answer that?" Dee asked. Ryo ignored him too.

A couple of minutes later, Dee's cell phone rang.

"Dee, it's me." It was Bikky's voice, sounding unusually subdued.

"Yo," said Dee.

"Tell him...Tell him...Ah shit. Could you tell him I..." His voice trailed away.

"Yeah, I'll tell him. Happy hunting later."

"Yeah, see you."

Dee snapped his phone closed. "That was Bikky. He's sorry."

But nothing, it seemed, could break Ryo's silence or make him take his eyes off the road, even for a second.

&&&&&&&

"Dammit all to Hell!" The Chief was angry. "I suppose it would've been too much fucking work to get a warrant for this?"

"Sir, you know we didn't have the grounds to apply for one," Ryo replied heatedly. "No judge would've signed off on it. We weren't on a drug case and we didn't have more than a guess as to what was in that bag."

"Yeah, and you know it would've been nowhere to be found by the time we spent all day fucking around getting a warrant," added Dee.

"Shit," the Chief ran a hand through his greying brown hair. "You boys are right. But this means we got no case. Jesus, I hate a dirty cop. We could have nailed Detective Shaver. Actually, maybe I should give IA a call for this one."

Dee and Ryo glanced at each other.

"Uh, sir, we were hoping to nail a bigger fish than Shaver."

"Oh?"

"And he's IA."

"Christ! You sure about this?"

"No, and that's why we need to pay Shaver a visit and see if he's willing to talk."

"Go get him, then. And don't blow this, or I'll have your asses in a sling. Meanwhile I'll talk to the DA and see if we got enough to proceed on Shaver alone. Even if we can't put him away, we can at least see about getting him drummed out of the force."

&&&&

When Detectives McLean and Laytner walked into the 51st precinct in the Bronx, they identified themselves at the front desk and signed in.

"Shall I give Detective Shaver a call to say you're coming up?" asked the young male cop behind the counter.

"Nah, don't bother," said Dee with an easy grin. "We just called from the 27th to say we'd be over soon." It wasn't strictly a lie. They had called, but to speak to Andrea, not Ned. She had confirmed that he was indeed there and there had been no mistaking the curiosity in her voice.

"Okay, I take it you know your way up?"

"Like the back of my hand, buddy. Thanks."

They moved quickly up three flights of stairs, each looking forward to the coming interview, but for different reasons.

"Detective Shaver!" Dee called out jovially. "Long time no see."

The man's head jerked up from the file he was reading, and his lip automatically curled in an expression of disgust while suspicion filled his eyes.

"I'd say it hasn't been anywhere near long enough."

"Well, we were just in the neighborhood -- weren't we, Detective McLean? -- and we got to talking about you and stopped by to see if you'd like to go for coffee with us."

"Why the fuck would I wanna do that?"

"Oh, we heard you like the coffee at Burger King. The one over on Turner usually isn't too crowded at this time of day."

Shaver got it immediately, but Dee was disappointed by his reaction. He didn't go pale or look scared, nor did his mouth drop open. Pretty tough cookie.

"Why the hell not. I got a bit of time today." He stood quickly and tucked the papers back into his file. He turned to Andrea and called out, "Hey, partner, can you take my calls for me? I'll be back in about 45 minutes."

"Oh _certainly_," replied Andrea in a mock-eager tone that was completely wasted on him. "Would you like me to tidy your desk, too?"

"Yeah, sure, if you got nothing else to do," he said casually as he preceded Dee and Ryo out the door.

Ryo, who was last to leave, looked at Andrea with eyebrows raised in sympathy. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head angrily.

&&&&&&&&

They sat in the back of a smoky little bar not far from the station, chipped brown mugs of dishwater-flavored coffee in front of them. It was much less crowded than the bustling coffee shop next door. Although it was only eleven o'clock in the morning, there were a couple of sad eyed regulars nursing drinks over by the pool tables. Ryo was interested to note that the bartender nodded to Shaver as though he knew him.

"What you got?" Shaver stirred his coffee and leaned back so he could look at both of them.

"A paper bag full of heroin and a dead prostitute," said Ryo.

"OD?"

He shook his head. "Fentanyl. And not just a kick. Enough for a guaranteed trip to the morgue."

For the first time, Shaver looked daunted, but only for a second. Dee wasn't fooled. He knew he was scared shitless.

"Someone must have really wanted Mr. Calvetti dead," he said leaning forward and blowing smoke in Detective Shaver's face. "But it's your prints that are on the bag."

There was a moment of silence and then Shaver pointed at Dee's cigarettes and said, "Mind if I bum one of those?"

Dee pushed smokes and lighter toward him and waited until the man had lit one and inhaled before speaking again. "Autopsy's tomorrow," he said. "But we already know the outcome 'cause we ran the drugs through the lab."

Shaver's eyes flickered from Dee to Ryo. "Warrant?"

"No."

"You got nuthin'." He tried to put some bravado into his voice, but it wasn't quite convincing.

"Not quite nothing," corrected Dee. "D.A. says we got enough to go to court." The second lie of the day. Only God and the Chief knew what the D.A. had said, because Dee and Ryo had not been present for that particular conversation.

"The evidence'll be thrown out."

"But WHAT a nasty black mark next to your name," said Dee.

"In addition to that other nasty black mark," added Ryo who had done a little digging on Detective Shaver. "And once we get IA going on this, who knows what else might turn up?"

Shaver snorted. "You're not going to get anything from them. They're not as competent as people think."

"Well, that's what we think too," said Ryo.

"What the hell do you want? Why are you telling me this, anyway?"

"You're looking at murder one," said Dee. "It might even stick. But Detective Mclean and me, we don't think you knew about the fentanyl."

"We've got a feeling you were set up." Ryo met Shaver's eyes frankly. "We're thinking that might have occurred to you too."

"And you can bet whoever you're working for has covered his own ass," added Dee. "Another smoke?"

"Yeah. So, go on."

"Give us the guy you're working for."

Shaver paused in the act of lighting his second cigarette. "And?"

"And we'll do what we can to keep you out of jail," said Ryo. "As you said, the bag is inadmissible. You've got a shot here. Give us something real."

Shaver's eyes went to the walls, which were covered with old black and whites of NYPD officers from the forties and fifties. It was clear that this used to be a hangout for cops in fatter times.

"Lemme think about it," he finally said. "Give me a couple days to mull it over. What you're asking me to do could get me killed or worse."

Killed or worse? _Interesting choice of words,_ thought Ryo, but aloud he said, "Call us on the weekend."

&&&&&&&&

--end of chapter 17—

MORE Author's Notes: I welcome feedback from you, the readers. I don't mind if you want to say something that might be construed as critical, as long as you say it nicely. If you feel I've made a mistake, or forgotten something, go ahead and point it out to me, and I'll give it my serious attention. It will provide me with a chance to either correct it or explain why I did it. Honest discussion is ten times better than silent condemnation. However, I retain the right to leave things the way they are if I feel it best suits the purposes of the story to do so. It's my little labor of love after all!

Thank you so much for reading this far, and also for your patience during the sometimes quite long periods of time in between my posts! I appreciate all of you and wish I could give you all cookies and chai tea.

Brit


	18. Chapter 18

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 18 _

**A New Day Chapter 18 **

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Still work safe. You can read this in the same room as your boss if you want, but only if it's your break.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: It's customary for Karateka (people who practice Karate) to greet each other by saying "Osu." It looks like a two syllable word, but the 'u' at the end isn't pronounced. There is a technique to pronouncing it, which you would learn in a Japanese language class, but non-Japanese Karate students invariably end up saying "Os" as in "Carlos" or "adios". If you ever go to a Karate class, you'll be amazed at how often the class members repeat that word.

There are more author's notes at the end of the story.

Please read and review.

Chapter 19 is already up on my LJ. If you want the address email me. But if you're a child, please don't ask for my LJ address because there be lemons in those there parts...

Thank you to BlueSimplicity for so devotedly continuing to beta for me right through thick and thin. I adore you, as you know!

**A New Day** _chapter 18_

As Detectives McLean and Laytner exited the dingy little bar, a light rain began to fall. It delivered some much needed freshness to the metallic heaviness of the air on the busy street that ran past the Bronx station. Ryo breathed it in gratefully.

"What was the other nasty black mark?" Dee asked when they had achieved a little distance from the bustling front door of the 51st Precinct. He was pissed off that Ryo had kept this information to himself, but was prepared to tread carefully for the time being. It would have been helpful if they had both been on the same page when they went in to see Shaver. However, this was not the first time Ryo had been inexplicably secretive with information on cases they were both supposed to be working on together, so Dee was somewhat used to it. And although no harm had been done this time, it still made him feel uneasy. Dee had complained to Ryo about this tendency in the past, but every so often his partner did it again. Dee had every intention of calling him on it this time too, but first he wanted the information.

"Shaver and his partner-- his last partner --were doing a routine drug bust at a small warehouse around Christmas time. Somehow it all went sideways on them," said Ryo. "For reasons that were unclear, they went in before back-up arrived and his partner, a guy by the name of Roy Bannerman, got a bullet in the leg. Shaver got himself out, but Bannerman couldn't walk. By the time back-up arrived, the gang and the drugs were gone and Bannerman was dead. He'd been shot up pretty badly."

"Fuck, I remember that now," Dee said. "The Chief used them as an example of why we shouldn't be cowboys and should always wait for back-up instead of rushing in to do it all by ourselves." He furrowed his brow. "But Shaver wasn't Bronx then. Didn't that happen in Brooklyn?"

Ryo gave him a sideways look. "You have a good memory when you want to," he remarked.

"Well, not really. I just tend to remember stories about cops getting shot, that's all. And this guy got one in the leg, which always brings back memories, you know?"

"So then I take it you remember the rest?"

"Well, I don't really know much more than that. Apparently there was some kind of investigation."

"That's right," said Ryo. "By... Internal Affairs."

"Lemme guess: Abernathy?"

"You got it. He was the Lieutenant in charge."

"This is getting good. Go on."

"What Shaver said happened didn't tally with the radio and cell phone evidence. Bannerman had continued to report from inside until they crushed his radio for him. And even then, he'd managed to leave his cell phone on in case the gang said anything about business while they were kicking the crap out of him."

"Jesus."

"Yeah," Ryo agreed. "Shaver claimed he hadn't been able to help his partner, but Bannerman seemed to think he'd been set up and that Shaver was somehow in on it. He shot the guard who had shot him, but the call records show that Bannerman was alone in the warehouse office for at least five minutes before the rest of the gang found him. It's not like they were under fire or anything."

"Well at least now we've got some idea of what Abernathy's got on Shaver. I take it Shaver was cleared, and if he's still in narcotics, then he didn't get demoted or anything."

"One month's suspension without pay, during which he put in for a transfer."

"I wonder if Abernathy really is trying to get rid of him?" Dee spotted the car up ahead and automatically reached into his pocket for the keys before he remembered that Ryo was supposed to be doing all the driving until the end of the month.

"Mmm… Probably just Eddie. Or maybe he wants to eliminate both of them, for whatever reason. I'm pretty sure we'll hear more about that missing cell phone video before we're done with this case, too."

"So, when the hell did you find time to do all this digging?"

"Oh, here and there over the last couple of days. I got some help with part of it."

Dee took the bull by the horns. "And you couldn't have told me this before we went to see Shaver?"

Ryo looked uncomfortable. "Well, I didn't get the key information until I talked to a friend of mine from the CCRB this morning," he muttered.

"Dude, we drove here together. You didn't say one word to me on the way over."

"Come on Dee, it wasn't life or death," said Ryo with a touch of asperity. "Don't tell me you would've done anything different in there if you had known."

"That's not the point. The point is that a cop shouldn't withhold important case evidence from his partner. I went in there suspecting that Abernathy and Shaver were in bed together; YOU went in there _knowing_."

Ryo looked at his feet as they walked. Dee was right and he knew it. He hated it when Dee was right. Or more to the point, he hated being in the wrong. What could he say? _I didn't feel like talking to you this morning, so I didn't tell you about Shaver's past?_ That sounded petty and unprofessional. Ryo didn't like to feel as though those two words could be applied to him. But he was still too unsettled from the scene at the breakfast table to be able to apologize.

"Look," he said defensively, "I know it was wrong, and I know I should just say I'm sorry and get it over with, only I can't do that right now because I'm in a really crappy mood and it wouldn't be sincere. All right?"

Dee met his stormy eyes calmly. "I don't care if you never apologize," he said. "Just don't do it again, that's all. It's a matter of trust. You either trust me, or you don't."

Famous for losing his temper frequently, Dee often felt astounded at the way he was able to keep his cool around Ryo. In some measure, it proved Mother right. She had told him for years that he had to get a handle on his temper and that it WAS possible to do so. He had always insisted that it was just his nature to blow off steam and that a leopard couldn't change its spots. But he had realized in the first year of getting to know his partner that while Ryo could handle a yelling match when he happened to be in the mood for it too, there were other times when it was fatal to start hollering at him and he had therefore learned to put a lid on his anger whenever Ryo managed to piss him off. Not that it happened often. Ryo had a way of freezing a person out that Dee shuddered to recall, and it was partly fear of this that enabled him to master his ire when Ryo had done something that made him want to rant. Ryo didn't seem to mind too much when Dee ranted at or about someone else, but he became very cold and distant indeed if Dee directed any invective at him.

Dee considered that in all honesty, his partner usually had far more to put up with from him than the other way around. But he pushed back that little burr of dejection that always seemed to get under his skin whenever Ryo demonstrated a lack of trust in him.

By that time they had arrived at the car and Ryo's only response was silence as he got into the driver's seat and fastened the seat belt. During the drive back to the 27th, the silence remained unbroken except for the crackle of the police radio, which featured the dispatcher's voice and cops calling in various routine codes. Dee's eyes became heavy as he felt his lack of sleep over the past few days catching up with him. Deciding that he needed some fast music to wake himself up, he changed the radio station half a dozen times until he found an old Nickelback song, which he turned up really loud. Ryo immediately reached over and turned the music down.

"Driver chooses the music," he said firmly.

"No way! That wasn't part of the original deal. Driver only drives."

"If the driver crashes the car because his partner forced him to listen to loud stressful music when he was already in a bad mood, then his partner will lie in hospital later, wishing--"

"All right, all right! Geez. I'll find something that we both like." Dee resumed changing the stations, muttering resentfully to himself. Suddenly a familiar jazz tune started winding its way through the car, and he smirked and leaned back in his seat, one eye on his partner. "Here's a good one," he said innocently.

Ryo suddenly stiffened as he realized what was playing and his hand shot out and hit the off button.

"Hey! Ryo, come on," Dee protested. "I was enjoying that song."

Ryo shot him a glare. "You were enjoying it last night too. Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do here."

"I am NOT trying to seduce you in a moving car in city traffic, if that's what you're implying," protested Dee indignantly. "I'm just trying to get a smile out of you, that's all."

"Maybe I don't feel like smiling." Ryo pulled into the parking spot outside the 27th that was reserved for Car Two and started to unbuckle his seatbelt. It was true. He hadn't smiled all morning so far.

"Hang on there a minute, dude." Dee laid a hand on Ryo's arm.

"Dee," said Ryo warningly, narrowing his eyes at his partner. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Look, I know you're pissed about Bikky hearing us and all," said Dee, "and I know you think it's all my fault, but I just wanna let you know that last night was the hottest sex of my entire life and I don't regret it, not for a second. I refuse to apologize or feel bad about something that was so completely beautiful and amazing."

"Re--really?" Dee had succeeded in surprising Ryo out of his grumpiness.

"Yes, REALLY. It makes my balls twitch just thinking of it."

"But... but you must've... I behaved like such a..." Ryo winced at the memory. "I'm not very experienced and I still don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Well in that case we might as well take out a life insurance policy on me now, because when you do finally figure out what you're doing, I'll be a dead man for sure."

Cheeks burning, Ryo suddenly felt that he didn't want to meet Dee's eyes. "The noise we made..." His voice was softer than usual. "I've never been so embarrassed, Dee. I know it was...mostly me. I just couldn't think how to handle that situation with Bikky this morning."

"You know, just about every kid eventually hears his parents having sex. It's not like he's the only one that has ever happened to. If that kind of thing scarred kids for life, the species would've died out a long time ago."

"I guess so." Ryo was trying to remember if he had ever heard his parents having sex. Actually, he had. Maybe Dee was right. But it didn't make it any easier. "But why..." he began hesitantly.

"Why what?"

"Why do I make so much noise with you? I mean, I was never like this before when I was with women."

Dee grinned at him. "You just never had a ride on the Dee-machine before, baby," he said with a wink.

"Now don't start getting a swelled head because it's not going to happen again," Ryo said as he got out of his seat, and for a moment Dee felt alarmed. He jumped out of the car and looked hard at Ryo across its dusty roof.

"What, no more sex?" he demanded.

"Well, not for a while. From now on all sex is going to happen at your place unless Bikky's away on a sleep-over or something."

"Whew." Dee assented, relieved. For a second there, he thought that had been _it_, the dreaded moment when they returned to being 'just friends'. At least he was still in the game. But, dammit, no more sex while Bikky was at home? That was going to significantly reduce potential sexual encounters until that perpetually-grounded brat went off to friggin' college. He wondered if Ryo would be able to stick to this new rule, considering the length of time he had been celibate and how much pent-up sexual energy they both had kept trapped inside them for so long. Also, it was clear after last night that even if Ryo wasn't consciously aware of it, his body had certainly noticed that sex was a great stress-buster after a hard day at work. Dee was also counting on his own seductive capabilities, which Ryo was finally responding too, thank God. The fact that Ryo really seemed to like having sex with him was one of the main things he had going for him in this relationship. However, it would be best not to try to seduce Ryo while Bikky was around for at least a week. His mind went to his own apartment. It was still reasonably tidy from the cleaning job he had done on it last weekend. A quick dusting and vacuuming of the pizza crumbs from in front of the sofa would probably set it to rights...The weekend was almost here...How soon could he get Ryo over to his place without the monkey brat?

His scheming plans were interrupted by a shout from James who was exiting the building ahead of them with Eliza. "Hey Laytner! Don't think too hard, buddy! You're gonna pull a muscle in your brain."

"Hey at least I have a brain!" Dee tossed back good-naturedly.

"Yeah, and he's walking right beside you," Eliza put in sweetly, gesturing to Ryo.

"What is this, 'Gang up on Dee' Day?"

"Every day is 'Gang up on Dee' Day," said James, who smirked at Dee as they passed each other. "Hey, Chief's looking for you guys. He was saying something about overtime."

Dee's cheerful grin vanished. "That damn walrus! Overtime! What the fuck!"

"Bye guys! Good luck," Eliza called and she and James continued on towards Car Three.

"Relax. It might not even be true," said Ryo as he signed the clipboard for Car Two and noted their return time. "Besides, I'd to see the Chief anyway and find out if he's talked to the DA yet. I hope he thinks it's worth letting us proceed on Abernathy, because I'd really like to nail that guy."

"Yeah, and that bastard Shaver. What a creep. I can't imagine leaving my partner down in a hostile situation. I wouldn't do that even if it was JJ! Not even --" Dee paused "--Rose!"

"That's big of you."

"Well it was a nice fantasy. The gratitude...The indebtedness...The extra paid vacation time…"

"Yeah, I'm sure JJ would find a way to show his gratitude, all right."

"Quiet over there! You're killing my fantasy. Now I need a goddamn cigarette."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo, early as usual, stood outside the Karate dojo, waiting for Thomas. He had been tempted to go inside and chat with Ben, the young instructor for the teen class, but then he had considered that Thomas would probably prefer that they go into the building together. He made sure he stood on the street in plain view so that Thomas couldn't miss him and while he waited, he ran his mind over the details of the various cases the CI Division of the 27th was working on. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Exasperated with the lack of leads in the Lydgate murder, the Chief had finally consented to let JJ and Drake drive up to Canada to check out the hotel that Mr. Lydgate had allegedly been staying in at the time when his wife had been murdered in New York. This meant that he and Dee would have to work overtime to partially cover their shifts. Ryo would be working from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm and Dee would work from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, but they would be able to work together on the overlap. Ryo knew that since he wouldn't be home until after dinner, he would have to remember to defrost something tonight for Bikky to heat up tomorrow. He was just mentally reviewing the contents of his freezer, when he heard Thomas call out his name.

He turned around and exclaimed in shock at the boy's appearance. He had a large bruise on one cheek and he was limping slightly.

"Thomas! Oh my God, what happened? Did your dad---"

"Nah, it wasn't him, " Thomas said matter-of-factly. "IF he hit me, he'd be careful not to mark up my face or anywhere that shows. It's too soon for that anyway," he added pragmatically. "No, this time it was a bunch of fag-hating guys from that stupid school my dad likes so much. I wasn't quick enough off the mark, and they managed to corner me behind the gym."

"Are you okay? Maybe it's not such a good idea to exercise tonight."

"This is my life. I'm here; let's do it." Thomas spread his hands in a gesture curiously like his mother's and tried to sound tough. But Ryo could see the pain and fear still hiding in plain view on his face, and he sensed a deeper soul-hurt and confusion. He wished he could enfold Thomas in his arms and protect him from all the danger in his life, but he knew that the best thing he could do for this boy was to help him to become stronger.

"You're right," he said, slinging a friendly arm around Thomas' shoulders. "Might as well at least check it out, huh?"

When they arrived at the top of the stairs, the sounds of chattering and sports practice drew them toward an open door beyond a small waiting room with change rooms leading off it. Ryo showed Thomas a pair of old bookcases that were being used as shoe racks and explained that they had to remove their shoes before entering the dojo. After they had done so, Ryo stepped through the door ahead of Thomas, and paused at the threshold to bow. Thomas wasn't sure if he should do the same thing or not, so he just inclined his head a little as he went in.

"Ryo-Sensei!" A young man with a black belt came hurrying over with a delighted expression on his face. "Osu!"

"Osu, Ben!" said Ryo and Thomas watched as they both bowed to each other and performed a strange movement that involved crossing their fists in front of their bodies.

"How have you been, Sensei? Are you planning to practice with us tonight?"

"No, not tonight," Ryo informed him apologetically. "I haven't come to a class for over two months and I'm a little out of practice. I do plan to return to the adult class next week, though. How's it going with the teens? It looks like you may have a few new members."

"Oh, we lost a couple since the last time we saw you. Jess got a job and Reza went backpacking around Southeast Asia. But we've got four new ones, so we're keeping our numbers up. So what brings you here this evening?"

"Well, I've been telling Thomas here about what a great workout Karate is, and so he came here tonight to have a look and maybe practice for part of the class with you guys." Ryo turned to Thomas and nudged him forward.

Ben frowned at the bruise on Thomas's face, and said, "Whoa there, buddy. You look like you could maybe use a little Karate."

Thomas gave him a weak grin and tried for a joke. "Yeah, well you should see the other four guys."

"Ben-Sensei teaches the youth class," Ryo explained. "He's only twenty-one, but he's a fourth-dan black belt."

"Nice to meet you... Ben-Sensei," said Thomas shyly, holding out his hand and thinking that this sensei didn't look very dangerous at all. He wore glasses and stood only about five-eight or five-nine.

"Thomas, do you do any other kinds of exercise or sports?"

"I'm a runner," offered Thomas. "It sometimes helps when I get into those four-guy situations."

"Well, that's a great start. Good lungs are essential in the fighting sports. Listen, in a few minutes we're going to start the class. First we'll do the opening ritual, and then some stretching followed by a warm-up routine and finally we'll get into practicing our techniques and katas. It looks pretty complicated to first-timers, but it's not actually that difficult. Are you up for joining us tonight, or would you rather just watch?"

"I'd like to join in, if you don't mind."

"Not at all! Good spirit there, Thomas. Hmmm...I think I'll put you with Becky and Hiro for now." Ben turned away and scanned the group of high-spirited students and gestured to a nearby girl in a yellow belt who was practicing a kata routine with a companion.

"Osu Sensei!" she said, and hurried over, a thick red-gold braid flapping behind her.

Next, Ben called to an Asian boy in his mid-teens at the back of the dojo. "Hiro!"

When Hiro had arrived and he and Becky stood looking expectantly from their sensei to the new boy, Ben gave them their instructions.

"Becky, Hiro, this is Thomas. He wants to try out the class, but he's had kind of a rough day, so go real easy on him, okay? No sparring this time. Just help him through the warm-up and then I want you to teach him some blocks."

"Osu!" said Becky. "Hey Thomas, nice to meet you. Would you like to--"

"Wait!" Thomas said suddenly, holding up a hand to interrupt her. "Before we start, I got something I gotta say."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, including Ryo.

"Go ahead then," said Ben.

Thomas took a deep breath and in a voice that shook only a little, he said simply, "I just want you to know that...I'm gay. And if anyone here's gonna have a problem with that, then tell me now, okay?"

After a short silence, Hiro spoke, his hands holding the ends of the blue belt that was knotted around his slender waist. "So am I," he said. "Well, maybe bi. I'm not sure yet. But that's not important in here. Now do you wanna go meet some of the other students before class starts or what?"

"Sure." Thomas' face wore a shy but relieved smile, and the three of them ran across the mats together.

Ryo stared after Thomas for a moment, still feeling amazed by the words that had come out of the boy's mouth. While he didn't think the announcement of one's sexual preference right off the bat was necessarily an appropriate thing to say at a first meeting, he could not help but acknowledge Thomas' courage in doing so.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine," Ben said with a smile. "Now can I tell Brian and Tania that you'll be back for sure on Monday night? We've all missed you."

Ryo reiterated his intention of returning to practice and urged Ben not to let him delay the start of the class. "I'll just hang out and watch tonight, if you don't mind. I'd like to have a chat with Thomas after, anyway."

"Great to see you, Ryo-Sensei. Stay as long as you like." Ben bowed and then strode back across the mats calling to the students to form their ranks.

&&&&&&&&&

Bikky paused in front of an ugly, grey concrete building and assessed his surroundings. This had to be it. Two blocks past Gino's Pizza and across the street from a secondhand furniture shop, his directions had been. He was looking for a four storey concrete building with some kind of rental store on the ground floor. "Pinkton's Equipment Rentals and Sales," the sign said. Yep, this had to be the place.

There was an alley between this place and the brick building next door. After a quick glance around to make sure no one was paying particular attention to him, he slid into it and eyed the fire escape above his head. Definitely too high to jump, but there was a dumpster off to one side that he figured he could make a leap from. He sure hoped Eddie would be up there and he could get this over with quickly. It was going to take him a while to get back, and he still had Math homework to do. And he was sick of riding buses and trains as he crisscrossed all over looking for traces of Eddie. Oh well, the sooner he hauled his butt up there, the sooner he would know if he had to keep looking.

He had just jumped nimbly up onto the dumpster and was in the process of tightening his backpack straps, when he heard a high, confident young voice call, "Hey you! You up on the dumpster! Hang on for a sec, okay?"

Bikky looked down to see a small boy entering the mouth of the alley, clutching a greasy brown paper bag."

"'S'up, kid?"

"You goin' up on the roof?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I ain't. What's it to you?"

The boy came closer and dropped his voice conspiratorially. "You lookin' for Eddie C?" he asked.

"Yeah, you seen him?"

"I'm pretty sure he's on the roof," the boy said. He was a small, chubby Italian kid, about eight years old, who looked as though he'd grown up eating hearty pasta dinners every night. "Got his supper here. I bin calling to him to come down and get it, but I don't think he can hear me."

Bikky's face broke into a smile. So Eddie was up there after all? This was good news. "Want me to take it up to him?"

"Yeah! 'Cause I can't climb up there, 'specially if I gotta hold this in one of my hands. Tell him it's from my cousin Mario. He's on the grill tonight." The boy passed the bag up to Bikky, who deftly transferred it to his pack.

"Hey, you think you can jump onto that fire escape?" he asked looking a little doubtfully at the distance between it and the dumpster.

"No problemo," replied Bikky shaking out his legs. "Got my good basketball shoes on."

The kid's face lit up with excitement. "You play basketball? What position?"

But Bikky was already bored with the conversation and itching to get up on the roof and discharge his duty. Disregarding the question, he said, "Hey kid, in case Eddie asks, who should I say delivered this?"

"I'm Robbie. Oh, I almost forgot. Can you tell him my mom says thanks for the tea biscuits?"

"Tea biscuits. Gotcha. Now watch this." Bikky rocked back and forth from heel to toe for a moment and then backed up as far as he could on the lid of the dumpster. In two energetic bounds he was springing upwards and outwards from the edge, and then in the next second, his outstretched hands were closing over the lowest railing of the fire escape. Robbie whooped in excitement as Bikky swung himself up.

"Shhh, kid!" Bikky hissed at him. "Let's not bring the whole neighborhood here."

Robbie clapped a guilty hand over his mouth and then stage-whispered, "Sorry! But that was cool, man. Hey, what's your name?"

"Bikky. Now go home and watch TV or something. Later, kid." He began hurrying upwards, trying not to let his feet clatter too loudly on the steep metal steps.

The fire escape stopped at the fourth floor, and one glance up at the overhang of the roof above him was enough to inform Bikky that there was no way up externally, even for a world class climber like him. It would have been impossible for Eddie, with all of the gear he habitually trucked around with him, to have gotten up there. Then Bikky's eyes fell upon the door and he laughed softly to himself when he saw that it bore the marks of a recently changed lock. Eddie didn't pick locks; he just removed them and replaced them with different ones that he happened to have the keys to. Although installing and removing locks was certainly beyond Bikky's abilities, picking them was one of the many useful skills he still retained from a misspent childhood and the next few minutes saw him closing the door gently behind him and creeping toward the stairwell.

When he emerged into the open air of the roof, he did not immediately see what he was looking for and he felt a momentary pang of alarm. What if Eddie had moved on again? Or what if that trouble that Ryo was talking about had caught up with him? At this point, all he knew was that Ryo and Dee had busted in on Eddie for the second time and found him with drugs. Eddie had gotten away and was hiding out and there was a rumor that someone with Eddie had OD'd, but no one on the street knew who it was. There had been a lot of yellow police tape over at the Westington since last night, or at least that's what that sneaky bastard "Mosquito" had been saying this afternoon. Bikky wasn't sure he believed anything that came out of Mosquito's mouth. That guy would say anything to get attention, the fucking poser. But there was no denying that he had to find Eddie, and the sooner the better.

He sighed in relief when he came around the corner of a raised stairwell skylight and found a makeshift tarp shelter anchored on three sides by Eddie's familiar tool kit, a hammer, and the old lock apparatus. A camping style backpack with an aluminum frame stood upright inside the shelter, helping to prop it up. Under the tarp lay Eddie, curled up on a thin blanket, gray-faced and sweaty. He definitely did not look good. Bikky recognized the signs. Eddie was hurting bad.

"Fuck, Bikky, I'm glad it's only you," Eddie gasped out in a voice that trembled. "How the hell did you find me?"

"Well, I wasted some time in Woodhaven, first," Bikky informed him, as he lowered himself into a crouch beside Eddie. "Wish I'd come straight here. Remember a couple years back, you brought Crazy Bo here before he turned into such a Jesus-Nazi?"

"Uh yeah. Well, no. I dunno. Look Bik...I--I can't really talk right now--" A ferocious cramp seemed to seize Eddie mid-sentence and he left off speaking to clutch himself around the middle and curl up even tighter, groaning through clenched teeth.

Bikky looked away, feeling bad, but knowing there was nothing he could do. He had half-expected to find Eddie all strung out like this. Tony Elliot had even offered to sell him a hit to take to Eddie, but he hadn't dared to take him up on it, especially not after how Ryo had reacted to the whole marijuana escapade.

When Eddie crawled a short distance out of his shelter and retched horribly onto the pebbly surface of the rooftop, Bikky sighed and swung his pack off his shoulders. It was going to be a long night. And Eddie probably wouldn't be interested in the dinner that Robbie had brought him. But he should get it out of his backpack before it started to leak out through the bag, whatever the hell it was.

"Hey Eddie," he called, setting the bag down next to Eddie's shelter. "Some friends of yours sent you dinner. It's here if you want it, man."

"Huh?" Eddie raised his head, puke dripping pathetically off his chin, and fixed Bikky with a blank stare.

"Little brat by the name of Robbie gave me this. It's from his cousin...Mario, I think he said. And his mom says thanks for the--"

"MARIO?" cried Eddie in a cracked and creaky voice. "Why the hell didn't you say so, dude?"

In a flash, Eddie had scuttled crab-like toward Bikky and with a grunt of desperation, snatched up the bag and ripped it open. A couple of Styrofoam containers jumped out of it, one of them popping open and spilling some kind of indeterminate meat cutlets onto the ground. Eddie pawed frantically among the napkins and plastic utensils and then emitted a half-sob as he held aloft a tiny orange balloon that contained a lump of something dark. He immediately withdrew to the shelter and pulled out what looked like a small drawstring bag from one of his backpack's outer pockets. He dumped out the contents on the blanket he had been lying on, and unhesitatingly selected what he needed. This consisted of a metal soup spoon from an Asian restaurant, a lighter, a syringe, a length of rubber tubing, a single cotton ball from out of a baggie containing several, and finally a small square packet that Bikky at first took to be a condom until Eddie tore it open, revealing it to be an alcohol swab. He used it to clean first the spoon, then his fingertips, and finally a spot on his left arm before tossing it aside. Next, he squirted some water from a plastic bottle in the base of the spoon and began the careful process of cooking up his hit.

Bikky couldn't tear his eyes away. He'd seen junkies shooting up in washrooms and back alleys often enough, but he had never watched the whole procedure from beginning to end like this. It made him feel a curious combination of disgust and compassion, and he felt a little guilty for staring. However there was a certain amount of suspense and drama in what Eddie was doing, so he continued to watch. Now Eddie was slowly drawing back the plunger on his syringe, filling it with his precious mixture. When he was sure he had gotten out every drop of available liquid, he tapped out the air bubbles and tied off his left arm above the elbow with the tourniquet. At that moment, he had to put down the needle and bend double as another cramp wracked his skinny form. When it passed, he struggled to master the dry heaves that followed it until he was ready to pick up his syringe and carry on. He inserted it into the crook of his bony arm and slowly, carefully, depressed the plunger. Bikky watched in a kind of horrified fascination as the pain and tension were almost instantly lifted from Eddie's face and body, and an expression of purest happiness altered his features. Suddenly, for a brief moment, Eddie once more resembled the happy-go-lucky young guy who used to baby-sit him for a few bucks back when his dad, his first dad, used to have to go out to do a drug deal or take care of some other business. Eddie had been so different in those days, already handy with the set of tools he was so proud of, bursting with plans for a future as a carpenter, and full of goodwill, affection and brotherly advice towards the motherless brat of a two-bit drug dealer. What a far cry from the undernourished, homeless drug-addict he had become. Sure Eddie had a lot of contacts, but he lived outside the system and his future contained nothing but danger and hardship. It made Bikky shiver to think that but for Ryo, he might have ended up like this.

Eddie lay back with a sigh. In Bikky's opinion, he wouldn't be good for a serious conversation for at least half an hour, maybe longer. He sat down in a cross-legged position and resignedly pulled out his Gameboy. "I picked up your meat," he said without looking up from the small screen. "It's a little dusty, but probably still good. There's spaghetti too."

"Thanks. You're a...good guy, Bik. I'll eat it...later."

A car drove slowly by below, stereo blaring, and a neighbor shouted angrily down into the street. In the distance horns honked and sirens flung their warnings this way and that. The sounds of the city ebbed and flowed around them, but could not intrude into the miniature electronic world Bikky had willingly lost himself in and the unseen, dreamlike world that was suddenly flowing like a thousand warm rivers of light and color inside Eddie's head.

&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo sat in the dojo watching Thomas being shown how to block punches and kicks by his two new friends. He wished Bikky would call. It was getting close to eight o'clock, and there was still no word from him. If he hadn't heard anything by 8:30, he was going to call him and tell him to start the long trek home. Maybe he could get Dee to pick Bikky up.

Suddenly, the buzzing of his phone as it vibrated in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. He jumped up, flipping it open as he hurried out of the dojo and into the waiting room.

"Yo, Ryo."

"Bikky! How are you doing? Did you eat dinner?"

"Yeah, I'm fine and I ate. I'm here with Eddie. He's willing to listen to what you gotta say. I'm putting him on, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, B."

Eddie came on the phone. "Uh, Bikky's dad? That you?"

"Yes, Eddie. Recognize my voice now? I'm Detective McLean, but you can call me Randy if you like."

"Look man, I'm only talking to you because you're Bikky's dad. And this is off the fuckin' record okay? You better not be taping this call."

"Eddie, I give you my word that I'm not taping this call," said Ryo with quiet dignity. "And even if I wanted to, I don't have any equipment to do so. I'm at a Karate class with Thomas right now. Hear that?" He held out the phone toward the open door of the dojo where the group was practicing their katas and letting out a kiyai-shout at the end of each ten-count. When he returned the phone to his ear, he said, "If it would make you feel more comfortable, I'll put Thomas on the phone and he can confirm for you that I'm not taping it."

"No, no, that's okay," said Eddie in a slightly less defensive tone. "I apologize, sir. I know that even though you're a cop, you're a good guy. Least, that's what Bikky tells me and that kid's got a good head on his shoulders, you know?"

"Yeah, I do know," Ryo said softly. "And I'm very proud of him."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Eddie. "Bik's one less kid I gotta worry about. Now let's get down to business. First of all, are you gonna pin Tamara's death on me?"

"No, Eddie, but I'll get into that further in a minute. First, I want to talk about her. She's basically "Tammy Doe" in the morgue right now. We don't even know her last name. We think her family has a right to know what happened to her. Can you help us out with that?"

"Stanley. Her last name is--" There was a pause. "Her last name _was_ Stanley. But I don't think her family will care all that much. Her mom never knew who her father was, and she had four or five different step-dads over the years, all gone now. I don't think her mom is even in the state. Tamara's been livin' with a guy by the name of Ricardo Romero, who pimped her out most nights. He got her to quit school and start hookin' a couple years back. They might know her at the methadone clinics. She had a little problem, see. Like me."

"Does Mr. Romero go by any other names?"

"Yeah, on the street we mostly call him 'Rick'. But he's been trying to change his name to _Ja Romeo_ 'cause he's got some fantasy of becoming a rapper." Eddie snorted in a way that spoke volumes on the subject of his opinion of Rick's rapping talent. "But, sir, I'm sure I don't need to tell ya, you did not get any of this stuff from me, understand?"

"Sure, Eddie. I've been a detective for long enough to know not to reveal a source. Can you tell me how old Tammy was?"

"Only seventeen, maybe eighteen. She might 'a recently had a birthday." There was a pause. "So...I thought I heard you say you weren't planning to nail me for her death?"

"No, because we saw Detective Shaver give you the drugs. We got them off you, or most of them, anyway, real soon after. We followed you to the Westington, so we know you didn't have enough time to add the substance that killed her."

"'Substance'?" Eddie was surprised. "What kind of substance are we talkin' about? You mean it wasn't an OD?"

"No. The lab confirmed extremely high levels of something deadly in the two little bags marked "Yours". None of the other bags were affected."

There was a long silence.

"Eddie? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here." His voice had suddenly lost its tough-guy edge and sounded very young and unsure. " Uhh, don't suppose you're gonna tell me exactly what that, er, deadly substance was, huh?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to reveal that detail at this point in the investigation," Ryo informed him apologetically.

"I understand, sir. I guess." He took a shaky breath and fell silent.

"It's worse than you thought, isn't it Eddie? No one knew Tammy was with you, so she wasn't the most likely target. You got any idea why someone like Detective Shaver would want to take you out?"

"N-no. That was only the second time I ever met him. He's not my usual delivery guy. I mean, it's pretty obvious he thinks I'm scum, but...I didn't think the guy actually had it in for me..."

"How about the person you're both working for? You think he might have a reason for wanting you out of the way?"

"No, don't be saying that, man. That can't be! I never did nothin'!"

"What about the cell-phone video? Don't you think that might have pissed him off?"

"Oh, I guess you know who it is, then."

"Yeah. Thomas gave us a quite a few clues." Ryo forbore to say which clues. "Look, Eddie, where's that cell phone video now? Do you still have it?"

"No sir. He made me give it back to him a couple days ago."

"Has he contacted you since?"

"Yeah, he called and asked me if I had any other dirt on him that I was thinking about sharing with the cops. But I told him no way, that's not why I took the video! It was only for Tom. I thought I could help him-- that if his dad knew there was a video, he wouldn't hurt him any more. Guess I miscac...miscul...made a mistake," Eddie finished lamely.

"Did he believe you?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe not. I got a bad feeling. But I can't afford to be enemies with him."

"Why not? What do you think will happen?"

"He's a prick but he steps up whenever I'm in trouble," Eddie said. "I kinda need him out here, you know? Yeah, he can be a little scary when he gets mad, but I've had about 40 meetings with him over the last couple years, and more than 50 phone calls, and I gotta say, in all honesty, he's mostly been good for me."

"Hold on a second there...Forty meetings and fifty phone calls? That's pretty specific, Eddie. Are you sure about those numbers?" said Ryo

"Yeah, my memory sucks since this head injury I got when I was a teenager. I gotta keep records of everything, or I get confused."

"Eddie...uh, does Mike know you keep records of your meetings with him and your phone calls?"

"I don't know," Eddie replied. "At least I don't think I ever mentioned anything about it. But then again, my memory is crap, like I said."

"Eddie, think about it," Ryo said urgently. "You keep records of meetings and phone calls. You taped him beating his son almost to the point of injury. You've become a danger to him, don't you see that? Please let me take you into protective custody. I think you're in a lot more danger than you know."

"P-protective c-custody?" squeaked Eddie. "You fuckin' kidding me, man? If anyone wants to get me, that would be the place to do it. If I'm really in danger from a cop, I got a better chance out here. Besides, I...I just can't believe Mike would go that far. He and I go BACK, man!"

"Okay, okay," Ryo said quickly in soothing tones. "Forget police custody. Would it be all right for me and my partner to meet up with you in person, say tomorrow or the next day? I promised Bikky I wouldn't arrest you or take you anywhere against your will, and I'm making the same promise to you."

"Wh...what for?" Eddie's voice was suddenly wary. "We said all we gotta say. I don't want no one following me. I don't wanna be seen talkin' to no cops, either."

"We're going to be receiving some new information in the next day or two," Ryo told him, hoping to advance the relationship a little. "You're in some pretty big trouble, Eddie, and I think you're starting to realize that. I can't force you to accept my help, but at least I can give you some details that might help you to make decisions, all right?"

"Yeah, sure. But you're also gonna want something from me, right? That's the way it always works with cops."

Ryo sighed, and decided to go with honesty. "Yeah, Eddie, I might need a statement from you sometime, and that won't be possible if you're dead. You ducked it this time, but next time you might not be so lucky."

There was another silence. Finally, Eddie's voice came back over the line sounding troubled. "I'll think about it. Bikky gave me your home and cell numbers. I'll call you if...if anything else happens, okay? That's the best I can do right now, man."

"I understand, Eddie. Keep your head down, okay? And please send Bikky home ASAP."

"Yes sir. Bye." And he was gone.

Just then, Thomas came up behind Ryo and said, "Hey Ryo!"

"Oh, hi there. Is the class over already?"

"Yeah, wasn't it great? I love Karate. I'm definitely gonna come back on Tuesday. Ben-Sensei is so awesome! I just gotta get my dad to sign these forms and cough up some money. Say, were you talking to Karl just now? Dad is looking for him. He told me to keep an eye out for him."

"Did your dad say why he was looking for him?"

"Oh, he's going to buy Karl's MP3 player off him for me! I was telling him about how Karl uses it for everything, even taping phone calls because his memory is so bad, and Dad said it would be a good thing for me to use at school. I know Karl would give us a good price, which is important to my dad because he's such a cheapskate, normally."

"Did you say Eddie, I mean, 'Karl', tapes his phone calls?"

"Yeah, he has to because his brain doesn't always work the way it should. Then he converts the calls to sound files in his computer. It's pretty cool actually. Karl has to be super organized even though he's a drug addict, or he couldn't survive on the streets as well as he does. Anyway, do you know where he is? Dad says he hasn't been able to get him on his cell phone for the past couple days."

"No, sorry, I don't know where he is," Ryo answered truthfully. "And Thomas, please do me a favor and don't mention to your father that I was talking to Ed -- er, Karl. Your dad doesn't like me, you see."

"Yeah, what's up with that?"

"I don't know." Ryo sighed. "I think it's maybe partly about fatherhood and a couple more things that don't even have anything to do with me. But it's better for Karl _and_ me if you don't tell him about this phone call. I mean if he asks you directly, then don't lie to him. But don't bring it up voluntarily, okay?"

"Sure Ryo, no problem." Thomas looked a little confused. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here. Some of the class members are going out for a soda now, and they asked me if I wanna go with them, so I think I'm gonna do that. Tell Bikky I'll call him on the weekend, okay?"

"Sure thing, Thomas. I'm glad you had fun tonight."

Just then, Hiro and another boy emerged from the men's change room, saying, "There he is. Tom! Ready to go?"

Ryo watched with satisfaction as Thomas' face lit up.

"You bet! See you, Ryo!" The boys tramped down the stairs together and Ryo stayed just long enough to thank Ben and assure him that he would see him in the adult classes next week, before hurrying in the direction of home himself. On the way to the subway station, he dialed Bikky's cell phone number.

"Yo Ryo," came Bikky's stock answer. "You still mad about this morning?"

"No Bikky. Come on home and we'll talk about it. You want me to send Dee to get you?"

"No way! That would just be his ticket right back into the apartment! I know you probably don't feel the same way, but I for one could use a break from him. I'll come home by the F-train. I'll be there before you know it."

"Okay, see you soon," Ryo said. "I guess we've got a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, I guess we do. But can we do it over pizza?"

"I thought you said you ate dinner."

"I did, but it was only a burger. Besides, this Italian neighborhood is getting to me. There's a pizza joint practically on every block. Now I can't stop thinking about it."

"Sure, I'll pick some up on the way home."

"Cool! Ciao."

--End of chapter 18--

Additional author's notes:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was the one that had to be rewritten because my computer ate most of it. I've discovered that rewriting from memory something that one has already written is harder than doing the first draft. You know how certain people are always saying, "Stand up straight, drink more water, save money when you're young and always back up your work in another file? " And we just say, "Ahh, whatever?" Well, it turns out that those annoying people are right! Pardon me while I crack open a water bottle and click on 'save'. (The money may be a lost cause, however.)

By the way, Ben addresses Ryo as 'Sensei' as a term of respect because he's a black belt. It doesn't mean that Ryo is the instructor of a class.

Just in case it's not clear, Thomas and Bikky go to different schools, but they know each other through Eddie.

If there are any heroin experts out there who feel I didn't do a good job of describing the shooting-up procedure, go ahead and let me know. I shortened that scene because it was a little long and unwieldy, and in my opinion, it's still a little too long, but I'm sick of rewriting it!

Thank you to all the people here on FF(dot)Net who regularly read my story and give me feedback. It's your kind encouragement that makes me want to keep going with this project, even at those times when Real Life is trying to drown me with stress, duty and obscenely long to-do lists.

Brit


	19. Chapter 19

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 19_

**A New Day Chapter 19**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: No sex. Just plot. Oh and some swearing.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Ryo, Dee, JJ, Bikky, Carol, Drake, Ted, Marty, the Chief, the Commissioner, Diana, Janet, Jim from the Bronx lab, B's friend Jim, and Carol's friend Liz are characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Apologies if I've left someone out!) All other characters are mine.

Author's notes: I would like to extend a big 'thank-you' to all the fans who have stuck with me for almost nine months! I'm doing this for all the Fake fans out there who felt as upset as I did when they came to the end of Volume 7 and couldn't stand to be parted from Dee and Ryo. By the way, I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Please read and review. And if you want to read chapter 20, it's up on my LiveJournal page. If you want the address, you'll have to email me and ask me for it because the messaging system at FanFiction(dot)net doesn't allow links. But if you're a child, please don't go to my LJ on account of all the wild and wooly lemons.

**Thank you** to BlueSimplicity, beta–wunderkind, for having the courage to slap me upside the head when needed. I made the changes you suggested and I agree with their necessity.

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 19_

"Can you please make sure that the spinach and green peppers are hidden underneath the cheese and pepperoni?" Ryo asked the swarthy, middle-aged woman behind the counter at Sammy's Pizza.

She looked amused. "How old's the kid?"

"Thirteen." Ryo sighed. "And he doesn't like eating anything green."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about the spinach, but how about we change those green peppers to red? He might eat a couple by accident before he figures out they're vegetables." She chuckled sympathetically.

"Good idea! Thank you."

"Sure, hon. That'll be fifteen dollars."

Ryo paid her and sat down at a window seat to wait the twenty minutes she had told him it would take before the pizza was ready. He looked at his watch and wondered what Dee was doing. He still felt bad about this morning. When they had been driving to the Bronx for their appointment with Ned Shaver, he had sat there thinking about what he had learned about the man's past and knowing he should tell Dee. And yet he hadn't opened his mouth. Why? Yes, of course he had been upset over the scene with Bikky at the breakfast table, and he had felt angry at Dee for seducing him...but he had to admit in all honesty that Dee wasn't really the one to blame. All Dee had done was look at him. He himself had taken it from there. And Dee was right -- the sex HAD been hot. He felt his face and body getting warm just from the memory of it. And if he was going to be honest, he should also admit to himself that the other reason he didn't tell Dee what he had learned about Shaver was a kind of professional jealousy that reared its head inside him every once in a while. Dee had once observed that although Ryo was a team player, he was competing with everyone at work. He had been right. Ryo did have a competitive streak. It was quiet, but it was there. Sometimes he felt resentful that he did most of the slogging and paperwork, only to have Dee come in at the end to share the glory. And more often than he liked, it was Dee who contributed the key piece of information that would clinch a case.

Everyone who worked with Dee in the CI Division seemed to think that he was a spontaneous, lucky type of cop who followed his gut on cases, whereas they saw Ryo as methodical and organized. Actually, the reverse was true. Ryo was the intuitive one and Dee, though lazy, actually had a very orderly and systematic approach to solving crimes. Dee also had an amazing memory for case details and Ryo had worked with him long enough to know that he was able to cross-reference hundreds of cases in his head, even though he often pretended not to remember things so that he wouldn't have to do much of the boring work. Ryo knew his own memory was not as good and that was why he relied on keeping extensive files and detailed records.

In weak moments, Ryo sometimes felt that Dee was a slightly better detective than he was, so therefore he had to work harder and longer in order to distinguish himself in his career. Accordingly, he sometimes tried to keep information to himself for just a little longer than he should. But Dee was right. A cop shouldn't withhold important case evidence from his partner. It led to mistrust and a lack of confidence and would in time affect the overall success of the team. He recalled just such a partnership in his old unit back when he was a patrol cop. Evan Mitchell and Mark Lesnik. They'd started off good together, but somewhere along the way something had occurred between them that destroyed their sense of trust and cooperation. Ryo had never found out what happened, but whatever it was had been sufficiently serious that the Captain had broken up their partnership and sent Mark to another precinct. He didn't think it was possible that such a thing could happen between himself and Dee. But then again, maybe he was presuming too much upon Dee's loyalty and devotion.

Just then, the neon light above Sammy's outside window chose that moment to come on and Ryo instinctively glanced up at it and then at the woman behind the counter, who was stacking pizza boxes. Had she switched it on? Perhaps it was set to switch on automatically when a certain depth of darkness was reached. Ryo gave his head a little shake at how easily he could be distracted and pushed it out of his mind. Having reached a resolution, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Dee's number. No more withholding information from his partner, no matter what. He was never going to apologize of course, but that was beside the point. From now on he was turning over a new leaf. He would inform Dee ASAP whenever he had anything to report.

"Dee Laytner, Private Dick."

"Ha ha," said Ryo politely.

"Whaddaya mean, 'Ha ha'? Come on, admit it, you know you love it when I say the word _dick_."

Ryo was not about to admit to anything of the sort. "Well, you may be a detective," he said, "But you're not private. You're a public servant, just like the rest of us."

"Okay, you got me there. My brain and my sexy bod are on public display. But my dick? Well, that's private for you and you alone, baby."

"Dee, knock it off. Aren't you the slightest bit curious about why I'm calling?"

"Of course not. I know exactly why you're calling. You wanna talk about my dick and your dick and issues of privacy."

"Have you been drinking or something?"

"Absolutely not! I told the twerp to call if he wanted a ride, so I've been holding off, even though there's a nice cold six-pack in the fridge. I may be a little overly-caffeinated, though. Sorry 'bout that. Can't blame a guy for trying! I assume Bikky found Eddie?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, relieved that Dee was finally being serious. If his lover had said 'dick' one more time in that unduly direct but somehow irresistible voice of his, he would most likely have a problem standing up when they told him his pizza was ready.

"And Eddie confirmed Abernathy?"

"Yeah," Ryo said again, "But it's all off the record so far. Eddie's not crazy about meeting us. He doesn't exactly trust the police."

"Can't really blame him, can we?"

&&&&&&&

"What the hell kind of vegetable is this?" Bikky held up a piece of red pepper and glared at it in distaste.

"Um, looks like an irregular slice of pepperoni to me," Ryo lied through a mouth full of pizza.

"Yeah, right. Nice try, Ryo." Bikky flung it back into the box. "Hey, I'm gonna get some more juice. You want another glass of that fancy water?"

"Please," said Ryo, handing the boy his glass and trying not to smile. Bikky was really going out of his way to be accommodating tonight, and Ryo was enjoying the change from his son's usual challenging and irascible behavior. This was almost —_almost_— like the old days.

When Bikky had returned and plunked down a full glass of Perrier in front of Ryo, he asked, "So, how much trouble is Eddie in, anyway?"

"A lot," answered Ryo grimly, figuring Eddie had probably discussed the matter with him. "How much did he tell you?"

"A lot," the boy repeated carefully. "But I think I only heard one side of the story. So how bad is it?"

"As bad as you can get. I think someone tried to stage an OD with him as the victim. That person may try again. "

Bikky slowly, and with a look of great concentration, tugged another piece of red pepper out from under the cheese on his pizza.

"He doesn't think it's quite like that," he finally said. "He thinks Tamara's death was an accident."

Ryo met Bikky's eyes steadily. "I disagree," he said. "I hope that person doesn't make another attempt, but I believe there's a real good chance he will. But at least now Eddie has been warned. He thought Tammy OD'd, so he ran from the police. Now, whether he believes it or not, at least he's been told that's not how it was. It wasn't just a random OD; she was killed with a drug that was intended for him. So I hope he stays out of sight for a while if he won't let us take him into protective custody." Ryo took a sip of his water and added, "Thanks for going to find him. I feel better now that I know he's had a warning."

"Me too, if it's as bad as that," Bikky mumbled and took a savage bite of his pizza.

&&&&&&&&&

Detective Ned Shaver stood at the bottom of the subway steps and forced his eyes to focus. Getting up them was going to require balance and focus, not to mention a tremendous physical effort, when all he wanted to do was lie down right here among the cigarette butts and the litter and let sleep overtake him. What a fucking day. First those two detectives from the 27th came by to drop a bombshell in the middle of his life, and then Andrea had been looking at him funny for the rest of the day. He was sure she knew something, the bitch. And speaking of bitches, Sheila had called screaming about money. The child support check had bounced again. He'd had a feeling that would happen after he paid that six-hundred-dollar bill from the mechanic. But a man had to have wheels, especially for doing the moonlighting necessary for paying the fees at his kid's special school. What a fucking cow his ex-wife was. He couldn't imagine why he had ever married her in the first place. She had fooled him, of course, with her pretty hair and her laughing eyes, cleverly concealing her shrewish nature until it was too late. He had every intention of paying her, as the money was supposed to be for Kevin after all, but she was just going to have to wait a little later than usual this month. She could bitch all she liked, but the tribulations of the years had turned him into a man of stone. There was no more blood left in him.

He took a deep breath and started up the steps, his head swimming with whiskey and bitterness. Halfway up, his ears registered the arrival of another train below him and the sound of it disgorging its passengers. He heard their footsteps and their chattering voices, as they came up the stairs behind him. Dammit, he hoped nobody pushed or shoved, since he was none too steady on his feet. Suddenly there were bodies pushing past him, bumping him against the banister. "Get outta the way, old man!" somebody snarled and elbowed him in the ribs. In a matter of seconds they had all gone past him, and his resentful glance after them showed him the backs of men in suits, women in spring coats, young people in fashionable jeans. All of them in a hurry, all of them with places to go. Fuck, if this wasn't the story of his life-- always getting left in the dust by the people who'd been born with some luck in this fucked-up world.

It wasn't until he let himself into his dusty little third-floor apartment a couple of blocks away that he realized his handgun was no longer on his person. That couldn't be. Not again. Disbelievingly, his hand clumsily patted the empty holster. God damn it. Where had the blasted thing gone? Had he taken it out? He was sure he hadn't. He forced his muddled brain to concentrate. It had still been there when he was drinking at Dolph's. The feel of it against his side had given him a sense of reassurance when he had been taking a piss next to a freaky-looking guy in the men's room. But after that...he didn't know. How could he tell the lieutenant he had lost his piece twice in the same month? Jesus, what a day this had been.

&&&&&&&&

"Are you sure you're done?" asked Ryo, picking up the pizza box. "There's a couple of slices left."

"Nah, I'm full. But I could take 'em for lunch tomorrow. That way you don't have to make me a lunch," Bikky offered.

Ryo decided that he might as well take advantage of Bikky's conciliatory mood while it lasted.

"B," he began. "About last night...There are a couple of things I'd like to talk to you about."

Bikky looked uncomfortable. "Okay then. Might as well get it out in the open."

"First of all, I just want to get you to clarify something for me, something you said when we talked last night, you know, before I went out on that call? When I said I felt bad about you having trouble at school because I was involved with another man, YOU said that was nothing new and that it had been going on for years. That kind of went over my head at the time, but later I thought about it and wondered what you meant."

"Oh, that. Well, brace yourself, Ryo, but my friends have been under the impression you were gay almost from the beginning."

"What?" Ryo was stunned. "But--but...how? Why?"

"Well, think about it. You and dork-head were always together, like, _all the time,_ just the two of ya, no women, no girlfriends. Well, 'cept for that Meredith of course, but I always knew she wouldn't last," he added.

"But we WORK together! We have to spend time together, especially when we do overtime."

"Yeah, but even when you had time off, he was here sleepin' overnight or you were over at that orphanage with him, or you guys were grocery shopping or hitting the gym together. That cockroach has practically been stuck to you like glue for the past two years." Bikky sighed. "I _knew_ he would eventually turn you gay," he said. "But I couldn't get rid of him."

"But he was--IS--my best friend! Can't a man have a best friend without everyone thinking he's gay?"

"I got best friends too, but they don't put the moves on me. And if they did, they know I'd deck 'em, and that would be that. And THAT'S the difference between you and a straight guy."

Ryo was stunned. He sat in silence for a moment, watching the bubbles gently rise in his Perrier, and then tried again. "I decked the Commissioner for putting the moves on me..."

"Yeah, but never the dorkhead. And it was obvious, Ryo."

"I really didn't know. I don't know what to say." His brow furrowed in confusion. "So if all your friends already thought I was gay, then what was that fight about?"

"Well, for years, it was like, 'Your dad is gay, right?' and I was like, 'No he's not, he's straight.' It was only after I stopped denying it that Brody thought he saw his way in. I don't think he even gave a crap about the subject, he just wanted to challenge me and make a name for himself. I've had way more fights about you being a cop, by the way," Bikky added nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Ryo yet again. "So it's a bad thing that your dad is a cop?"

"The kids at school always acted like I was gonna go tattling to you if they did anything even slightly illegal, like graffiti or smoking. 'Bik the Narc,' they called me. And none of my old friends from the neighborhood trusted me after I started living with a cop. Cops and whoever is hustling something on the street are always gonna be natural enemies. They look at cops and only think of the bad ones. They got no idea that a cop can be a good guy, that he can be honest, that he might actually be helpin' people." Bikky felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't meant to say that. Where the hell had that come from? But Ryo was looking kind of happy, so maybe it was okay.

"Do you still get into fights about that?" Ryo asked him.

"No, not really. It's all been settled now. Nobody disses you to my face, at least. And you don't have to worry about the fighting, you know. It's pretty rare nowadays. I already established a rep and most people know not to mess with me. And don't worry, I'm really not gonna do anything stupid. If I get injured, I won't be able to play basketball, will I?"

"That's true. I'm glad you realize that. What about if they call you 'a naturally blond jungle monkey'?"

"Oh, I get that a lot." Bikky waved a dismissive hand. "I'm a bona fide oreo: too white for the homeys, too black for the honkies. I don't give a crap what they say anymore. Anyhow, that's only dissin' ME. I can hold off from fighting when it's only me."

Ryo wondered if he was really as indifferent as he claimed. He would have liked to go further with that subject, but then Bikky fidgeted and started to get up.

"So, uh...we done talking?" Looking hopeful, Bikky glanced towards his room.

"No, unfortunately, we're not." When Ryo sighed and his face grew pink, Bikky knew what was coming and he cringed inwardly. _Lovey-dovey jackrabbit time,_ he thought. _Crap._

"About the noise last night...I guess I didn't realize at the time how loud it was and how...awful it was for you to have to listen to," Ryo said and then paused, looking unhappily at a spot on the floor a little to the left of his foster-son.

Bikky suddenly couldn't stand to see Ryo looking ashamed. It tore at his heart in a way that he didn't understand, and he felt the same regret that had assailed him at the breakfast table come rushing back to douse him again.

"Now come on, cut it out! Don't look all embarrassed like that. I feel bad about this morning. I wish I'd a-kept my mouth shut, really I do. But...But you gotta understand...It sounded like a--a porno movie...except more real. Shit." Now Bikky looked away, equally embarrassed.

"I'm truly sorry, Bikky," Ryo said simply, and forced himself to look his son in the eye. Somehow it was a much harder thing to do than facing a hardened criminal with a loaded gun.

"It's okay, I'm over it. Well, almost. And -- and I want you to be happy. I said it before and I still mean it. I know you love him and all, but can't you...maybe... do it at Dee's place from now on?"

"I've already told Dee that's how it should be," Ryo said. "Of course I can't promise absolutely that you won't hear any noises at all from the bedroom in the future, but believe me when I tell you that I never want to have this conversation again." The corner of his mouth moved as though to smile.

Bikky grinned. "Well, that makes two of us," he said. "Are we friends again?"

Ryo held out his arms. "We never stopped being friends."

The boy gave him a slightly awkward hug, but affection and good humor had effectively been restored between them, and for that, Ryo was grateful. So, he suspected, was Bikky. But as a result of their conversation, he now had a lot to think about. If Bikky's friends all knew he was gay, and according to Drake, several surrounding precincts thought his whole division was gay, was there anyone left out there who might still think of him as straight? He had been hoping to stay in the closet for the time being, but now he felt as though someone had removed the door and carried it away when he wasn't looking.

&&&&&&&

Trying not to think of his throbbing head, Detective Shaver picked up the phone and hesitated. Mike had warned him not to speak to those two bastards over at the 27th. With a slight shudder, he recalled his conversation with Lt. Abernathy over coffee at Starbucks the evening before, and quickly put the phone down.

"The important thing, Ned, my good friend, is not to panic." The Lieutenant's gimlet eyes had bored into his. It was funny how Mike's hard eyes and smiling mouth always seemed to be contradicting each other.

"Hard not to be concerned," Ned had replied. "They've already done a fair bit of digging. My nuts are on the line here."

"They just got lucky, that's all. They don't have any hard evidence. No warrant for the delivery, no proof really, that it was you. The only weak link in our little chain is a certain dope-addled young fella we both know. But I'll take care of him, never you mind."

Although Mike had said it in a fatherly kind of way, Ned had felt a subtle undercurrent of something less than paternal.

"Take care of him -- how?" he asked, taking a quick swig of his coffee and eyeing Mike curiously.

"What's with the look, there, Neddy? It's nothing so scary as you might be thinking! I've got it in mind to send our young friend out of state for awhile, that's all. He's my top seller after all, and I'm hoping to get a few more years of work out of him before he finally dies of AIDS or something quicker."

Ned had hunched his shoulders and steeled himself to say, "Like a hefty dose of something deadly in his usual hit?"

"Now, now, now!" Mike had protested. "You canna be thinking that was any doing of mine. Why, I'm not in a position to test everything that's brought to me. I could hardly have known about the fentanyl that killed Karl's young lady-friend. Do you think I've a lab in my home? As soon as I learned what had happened, I immediately destroyed the rest of that particular batch." He clucked sadly and his reproachful gaze captured Ned's for a moment. "There's no trust left in this world. No appreciation of a man's honor."

"Whatever you say, Mike," Ned had replied quickly, eyes down on his coffee as he stirred it for the hundredth time. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Apology accepted, my good sir. I can see those two fairies from the 27th have got you rattled six ways to Sunday. But believe me when I tell you, they've no jurisdiction to investigate you. This is a matter for IA." He tapped the counter and smiled triumphantly. "And I hold the winning cards in THAT particular game."

"But you've already investigated me once," Ned said nervously. "I don't think your team will be able to do it again."

"Never you mind what I can and can't do," Mike had replied with the utmost of confidence. "The main point I want you to get through your Nervous Nellie head, my boyo, is 'Do not talk to Detectives Laytner and Mclean'. It'll spell your ruin if you do. Just leave everything to Uncle Mike, and keep your mouth shut. Got that?"

"Sure Mike, I got it. I just hope to God you're sure about this."

And after that, he had felt reassured. So much so, in fact, that he had gone and drunk himself into a rare state of inebriation, because no matter how reassuring Mike had tried to be, there was something about the senior officer's manner that gave him pause. And he was not the 'Nervous Nellie' that Mike had accused him of being. Detective Shaver knew he was as tough as they came. A poverty-stricken boyhood in one of the tougher neighborhoods in the Bronx that included a couple of years in Juvenile Hall, followed by a stint in the navy and a few bad years with the bottle before he had managed to turn his life around had cured him forever of any fears of pain or adversity that he might have come into this world with. And when Sheila walked into his life, for the first time he felt that all of the sorrow, the struggling and the misery had been worthwhile because they had forged him into the kind of man who could be loved by a beautiful and vibrant woman like her. He felt expunged of his sins, cleansed of the stains of the past, worthy of a new beginning. At least until the first time he had disappointed her. It had gone rapidly downhill after that, but by then they were already married and Kevin's imminent arrival was being trumpeted abroad by his mother and hers. If it hadn't been for Kevin, neither of them would have hung on for as long as they did. He sighed angrily and passed a rough hand over his eyes. Love was a sticky illusion, that was for sure. So was self-respect. Everything depended upon the spin you were able to put on it. But there always came a time when the old spins stopped working and the new spin just laughed contemptuously in your face. What could a man do then?

He pulled open his desk drawer and popped the lid off a bottle of ibuprophen. The three he had downed earlier didn't seem to be making much of an impression on his aching head. He swallowed a couple more with a gulp of cold coffee and looked at his shaking hands in disgust. This was a doozy of a hangover. Kind of fitting, actually, since he was in a doozy of a fix. And on top of that, imagine getting drunk and losing his handgun a second time. The first time it had happened, he had accepted that it could have perhaps been a random act. This time, no. Maybe he should call Mike and tell him about it. Or maybe not. Between Mike's expectations of him and those of the Stone Blood Boys, he felt he was being slowly backed into a corner. He had very little left to lose at this point, but he still had hopes of being able to get back into the navy, that is, if Mike could be persuaded to lay off on his opposition to that idea. Perhaps it was finally time to back another horse.

He reached for the phone again.

&&&&&&&&&

"Dee, I've had enough. Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Dee made sure to inject his voice with just the right combination of innocence and indignation.

"Don't you 'Like what' me. You've been staring at me for the last ten minutes like you're a hungry dog and I'm a--a steak slathered in barbeque sauce."

"Barbeque sauce! Dude, what a fantastic idea. I've never done that, have you?"

"Dee, I mean it. Stop undressing me with your eyes and do some actual work." Ryo's brows met in disapproval over his beautiful, but stern features.

Dee grinned lazily at him. Ryo was getting pissy, which he always found irresistible. Dee's frank appraisal of the other man's physical attributes was making his partner feel self-conscious, annoyed, and slightly sexy when he wanted to be in worker-ant mode. However, Dee knew that deep, deep down, some naughty part of Ryo actually liked it. But not so whenever it was Commissioner Rose who was looking him over, he recalled with satisfaction. Like Dee, the Commissioner was aware of this difference, and occasionally Dee couldn't resist shooting him a smirk that basically said "Ha!"

"Well, I'll try," Dee said to Ryo. "But I was just getting ready to stop when you had to go and mention barbeque sauce, so now I'm afraid we have to let that fantasy run its course."

"We don't have to do anything of the kind. You should just turn around and face your own desk and think about something else, like that list of people you ought to be calling back and also what the hell you did with the Hastings file from last summer, which Ted was asking for yesterday." Ryo gestured bossily with the pen he had been making notes with, and Dee's grin just got a little wider and more wolfish as he thought about how very much he wanted to conquer his partner's adorably highhanded attitude with kisses and caresses. He knew he could do it, but getting permission was always nine-tenths of the battle. Too bad he wasn't feeling confident enough to risk a pounce.

"Or," Ryo added, interrupting what had been shaping up to be a beautiful fantasy, "You could start thinking about what you're going to say to Detective Shaver when he calls."

"Yeah, right. Like that bastard would call ME. And I don't think we're going to hear from him until Sunday at the earliest, if at all. He's not the type that scares easily-- too stupid and too stubborn. Besides, that fuckwad's gonna need some time to cook up a nice little--"

Just then the phone on Dee's desk rang and Ryo said, "That's him; I'm sure of it. Say hello, Dee."

"Detective Laytner," Dee growled, snatching up the phone. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed. "Detective Shaver! How ya doing?" He stared wide-eyed at Ryo, who just nodded and sat waiting.

"Uh yeah," Dee said into the phone. "So, uh...Are you just calling to shoot the breeze, or can I start looking forward to getting away from all this damn paperwork to have a drink with you?""

Ryo couldn't quite hear what Shaver was saying, but he didn't need to, as he was able to pick up the gist of it from Dee's side of the conversation.

Dee was scribbling something down. "Do what we can...Get some good terms...Yup, I know the place. Had a drink there once with Jim, one of your lab guys. Crappy food but cold beer...Okay. I'm good for six, and my partner too..." He glanced at Ryo, who nodded. "Yes, of course...We're more interested in the other guy than you, anyway. And we want info, naturally. See you then."

Hanging up the phone, Dee turned around and asked, "How the hell do you DO that?"

Ryo shrugged. "I don't know," he said simply.

Dee gave him a wondering look. This had happened many times before. Sometimes a random bit of information would trigger some kind of intuitive leap in Ryo, and he was pretty nearly always right.

"Anyway, he wants to meet us at six, at a bar called Bender's, a few blocks from the 51st. Maybe he's ready to spill."

Ryo looked thoughtful. "It's you he wants to meet, not me. I think you'll get more out of him if I'm not there."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? He thinks I'm an asshole, and he's picked up on the fact that the feeling is mutual. YOU'VE been reasonably respectful toward him, though. I ain't gonna get jack shit from him without you there."

"No, that's where you're wrong. He relates to you, not me. Besides, if I go, it's gonna feel more like two against one and he'll be more on his guard."

"Ryo..." Dee tried again. "Do you remember that the Chief told us not to blow it? We've got a better chance of not blowing it if we meet him together."

"Look, would you just trust me on this one? You're the guy he's going to confide in, and I'll just be in the way. I've got a very strong feeling that something new has happened to scare him. I don't know what it is, but I don't think he would have called, otherwise."

"Well, he didn't say so..."

"We'll find out tonight, won't we? Care to place a bet?" Ryo's eyes sparkled at Dee.

"Uh, no thanks," said Dee, having lost money to Ryo in this way before. His experience with his partner had taught him that while Ryo would sometimes take a bet, he never proposed one unless he was absolutely sure of winning.

"Okay, so that's settled then. Let's get back to work." Ryo glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Six o'clock is a long way away, and we ought to be able to get a lot done if we pace ourselves. We have to take Drake and JJ's calls, of course, as well as our own, but I think if we work as a team and BOTH keep our noses to the grindstone, we can get most of it finished," Ryo said firmly.

"Yes sir, Mr. Drill Sergeant, SIR," Dee replied sarcastically. "My nose and the grindstone are on kissing-cousin terms, and speaking of kis--"

"Forget it. Work. I've prepared a list for you in case you get distracted." He slapped a piece of paper down on Dee's desk. "I'm going for lunch now. I'll see you in half an hour."

"Lunch! Wait, I'm hungry too. Lemme come with you."

"Not a chance. You've only been here for 45 minutes. Call those damn witnesses and line up some appointments. I'll be back soon." Ryo gathered up a small pile of files and picked up his blazer from the back of his chair. Slinging it over his shoulder, he exited their shared office without a backward look.

Dee wasted a moment glaring after that elegantly clad and rapidly disappearing back, and then shook his head, amazed once more by Ryo's instincts. Somehow his partner had known that Shaver was going to call, and that, incongruously, considering their earlier behavior toward each other, it would be Dee that he wanted to speak to. Now he was saying that Shaver had some new problem that had frightened him enough to actually call them, and even though they had absolutely nothing to base that idea on, Dee had a gut feeling that Ryo was going to turn out to be right.

He looked at the list Ryo had made for him, and his face softened. Not just in his personal life, but also in terms of his career, the day Ryo had been assigned to him as his partner was the luckiest day of his life. Dee knew in his heart that he was good at his job. But he had had a string of partners he hadn't gotten along with. They couldn't adapt to the way that he worked and they weren't patient enough. He couldn't make himself fit their working styles either. It was Ryo who had steadied and brought out the best in him. They balanced each other and highlighted each other's strengths. Except for those times when Ryo acted like he was saddled with an unreliable partner, which Dee could hardly blame him for. After all, where was he when Ryo was putting both of their file sets away and writing 90 percent of the reports for cases they had worked on together? Where was he when Ryo was composing apology letters for trouble that he, Dee, had gotten them into? Flirting with the girls on the front desk, that's where. Out in the yard telling dirty jokes to the uniforms or playing practical jokes on the lab and records staff. He felt the sour taste of guilt in his mouth as he savagely pulled out a cigarette and lit it. At least he was better now than he had been before. Ryo could, to a certain point anyway, manipulate him into pulling his weight. But he wished he could be as good a cop as his partner.

&&&&&&&

End of chapter nineteen


	20. Chapter 20

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 20_

**A New Day Chapter 20**

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Worksafe.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: Commissioner Rose returns from his business trip in this chapter. If you have read my story _Negotiations_, then please remember that it took place in July, whereas, this story is set in May of Dee and Ryo's first year together. _Negotiations _actually happened about six weeks after this one.

Please read and review.

**Thank you** to BlueSimplicity

START

The Chief tightened one big ham fist on his desk as he listened, but otherwise gave no outward sign of agitation.

"So you see, sir," Ryo explained, "We need just a little more time in order to be able to build a good case against him."

The Chief spoke, and his voice sounded more bleak than angry. "Michael Abernathy, huh? That pious, sanctimonious, two-faced son of a bitch."

Because the Chief appeared to be lost in thought, Dee opened his mouth to add something, but Ryo forestalled him by nudging his thigh with his knee.

After about thirty seconds of hard thinking, the Chief bestirred himself and said, "This makes it a little more difficult for me, since he's widely thought to be a friend of mine."

"So, he's not?" Dee asked.

"You've heard the old adage, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?'" The Chief grinned mirthlessly. "Well that's what's going on here, on both sides. But perhaps it doesn't look quite that complex in the eyes of the world."

"Sir?" Ryo was a little confused.

"He'll be expecting me to rein you two in," the Chief explained. "If not, there will be certain, er, 'consequences', for all of us. You can bet your ass on that."

"Not if we take him down first," Ryo insisted hotly.

"That ain't gonna happen, Randy," the Chief said flatly. "This is a big deal. If we go ahead with it, and I do mean _if_, it's gonna involve a sting. We'll need wiretaps and surveillance over time, probably months, not to mention wishy-washy statements from informants who've likely got a whole lot to lose if their inside guy goes down. We don't even know how big this ring is at this point. It could be just the three guys you know about, or there could be ten or twenty more. Mike might not even be the ringleader, either."

"Sir, I want this case," Ryo insisted. Dammit, it seemed like whenever a case was important to him, it got taken off him and reassigned to another department or team. Dee was so blasé about this kind of thing, and Ryo just couldn't understand that. He could feel the case starting to slip away from him, just like the time he had been taken off the Ikebukuro convenience store killing last December, and before that, the murder case that bore such an eerie similarity to the one in which his parents had been murdered.

"Randy, do I have to remind you we're homicide? This is corruption."

"And narcotics, AND homicide," said Dee. "Lieutenant Abernathy seems to have all the bases covered. It seems like there's gotta be a piece in there for us."

"It's all just hearsay and conjecture at this point, boys. If we're gonna run surveillance, we gotta get approval, and that's the point at which the hard questions will be asked."

"Chief, like Ryo said before, I got a meeting with Detective Shaver tonight. That's probably going to yield something," Dee put in.

"And if we can get a face-to-face with Eddie Calvetti, I have reason to believe we'll be in reach of a laptop that contains actual sound files of Lt. Abernathy's involvement in this case," added Ryo, sitting up very straight and trying not to let the tension he felt seep into his voice. "These guys are OUR contacts."

"And they're both on the skittish side," said Dee, after a guarded glance over at Ryo. "We only just got them talking to us. You think they're gonna keep singing if you hand 'em over to someone else midstream?" He hoped Ryo could keep himself under control, or the Chief would kick them off the case sooner rather than later.

The Chief listened gravely, his sharp eyes flickering back and forth between them as they spoke. Mclean, he could relate to. The man reminded him of how he was in his own early years as a detective. He was so passionate, as offended by corruption and injustice as Lt. Smith still was himself. Laytner, he could also understand. More experienced than his partner with the roadblocks thrown up by bureaucracy and protocol, and therefore more jaded, he was not inclined to really sink his teeth into a case until he had been given the green light. Of course that was also partially due to general laziness, but even the Commissioner had observed that Dee was ready to work seven days a week if he could do it alongside McLean.

"All right, I'll see what I can do. Try to get a statement out of Shaver, Dee. If he's willing to cooperate, I'll let you guys have the case for now. I don't hold out much hope for that junkie, though. If he's still alive and walking around by the middle of next week, I'll be very surprised. But remember, we're technically out of our jurisdiction here. If there's a rotten apple at IA, we gotta show them the respect of allowing them to deal with their own. If we show them up, we'll get nothing but trouble here at the 27th for the next two years. This is political, boys. I'm taking this to Rose. He came back today, and he's got the final say."

Dee emitted a disgusted grunt and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Aw, Chief, way to ruin a perfectly good Friday."

"Is he here at the 27th?" asked Ryo.

"No, but he'll be in later this afternoon."

"I don't understand why he has to keep hanging around here when he has a perfectly good office over at One Police Plaza," grumbled Dee.

"That's enough, Laytner. Don't you realize what an honor it is for the 27th that the NYPD Commissioner wants to maintain an office here?"

"Oh yes sir. I'm so honored, I think I just might throw up."

"OUT! Both of you!"

&&&&&&&&&

"Detective McLean," said Ryo absently into the phone, as he sifted through the contents of a file with his free hand. Suddenly, his voice and manner underwent a noticeable change. "I'm doing well, sir. Thank you for asking. Welcome back, by the way."

Dee stiffened and watched Ryo. As usual, that rat bastard hadn't wasted any time.

"Yes, we'd love to discuss this matter with you, sir. When?" There was a pause before he continued. "Well, Detective Laytner has to go out to meet with one of the principals of this case, but I'm available at that time."

Dee's teeth started to grind together.

"Yes," Ryo was saying. "No doubt he will, but I can fill him in later. It's a very important interview and what he finds out tonight will probably help us determine the best approach to this case. Are you sure you wouldn't like to meet both of us together AFTER the---" Another pause, then, "Yes sir, I understand how busy you must be. I'll see you in your office in half an hour."

The moment he hung up, Dee exploded. "You are not going anywhere near that horny, poisonous scum-weasel without me!"

"Dee, don't get yourself all worked up over nothing. Rose is taking a personal interest in this case, and as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing for us."

"That bastard just wants to get you all by yourself in his office so he can try something! Jesus, he hasn't even been back at work for two minutes--"

"He hasn't laid a hand on me for almost two years, and I doubt he's going to try anything like that today," Ryo said soothingly, a little bit of impatience hovering in his voice. "I think I loosened a couple of his teeth last time he did, and he hasn't forgotten."

"He's just biding his time, that asshole! Always trying to get you alone behind a closed door. Dammit, I'm going to phone Shaver and see if I can postpone---"

"Hey! You're getting upset about nothing. You just get your ass out that door and over to the Bronx. Your meeting with Shaver is our top priority here, and I will be VERY pissed off with you if you screw it up over something stupid like this!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ryo knocked on the Commissioner's office door and then hesitated as he heard a loud bang from within. He knocked again.

"Come in Ryo," Commissioner Rose called, and Ryo entered cautiously, only to find himself in the midst of a strange scene indeed. The Commissioner's office was full of red and white helium balloons and a massive gold-fringed banner was taped to the front of his desk. It said "Welcome back Berkie!"

Despite his customary nervousness in the other man's presence, Ryo couldn't help smiling. "Diana?"

The Commissioner smiled back and popped another balloon with an extended paper clip. "Classic Diana," he confirmed. The carcasses of dead balloons littered the floor of his office. Ryo wondered how many Diana had ordered and when exactly she had managed to sneak them all in here. There were about a dozen left and it looked like Rose had already dispatched at least that many. The Commissioner selected his next victim, but paused when Ryo called out, "Wait, sir!"

"Yes, Ryo?"

"Sir, if you don't want them, there's no need to pop them all. There are people all over this building with children at home who would love to have a helium balloon."

"Of course! How thoughtless of me. As you know, I don't have children of my own, so it's sometimes difficult for me to think like a parent. But you're absolutely right, and I thank you for reminding me that these balloons should not go to waste. Would you like to take a couple for your own son, Detective? That is unless he's getting beyond the age to be excited by balloons. How old is he now, twelve?"

"Thirteen, actually," said Ryo with a smile. This was a safe topic. "He just had a birthday at the end of April, but I don't think he's too grown up yet to enjoy having a helium balloon. I think I will take you up on your kind offer. Thank you."

He selected two ordinary red and white ones with clusters of ringleted ribbons hanging from them and turned to tie them to the doorknob so that he would remember to take them on his way out.

"Why don't you take a third?" the Commissioner offered and this time there was something slightly sebaceous in his voice that caused the back of Ryo's neck to somehow feel itchy. When he turned around, Rose, wearing an enigmatic smile, bestowed upon him another balloon in the shape of a pair of lips. The balloon said "Kiss" and "Me" on the upper and lower lips. Ryo hesitated, and willed himself not to feel ill at ease, or at least, not to let it show. No doubt the Commissioner intended him to remember the one and only time when the two of them had actually had a brief meeting of the lips.

"Oh no, sir, I couldn't. I've already taken two and I'm sure some other child would--"

"Now, now, I insist." The Commissioner smiled again and fastened him with a knowing look. "I'm sure your son runs around with a pack of friends like most teens do, and didn't I see him with an attractive blond girl at the annual picnic last year?"

"Yes sir, they're pretty much constant companions."

"Well give him this one to give to her, then. I'm sure she'll be delighted. Don't you think so?"

"Thank you, sir," murmured Ryo, seeing no way to gracefully refuse. He didn't relish being seen leaving the Commissioner's office holding a balloon that said 'Kiss Me', though. He'd get ribbed about that on Monday, for sure.

"Excuse me for a minute please, Ryo." Rose turned away and picked up his phone, dialing a four-digit local. "Marianne, my dear, it's Berkley," he said. A squeal of happiness so loud that even Ryo could hear it emitted from the phone, causing the Commissioner to hold it away from his ear and smile ruefully at Ryo. "Today," he said into the phone. "Just an hour ago, as a matter of fact." More excited squealing ensued, and then Rose said, "I'm afraid that won't be possible this evening, my dear, nor Saturday. How does Sunday sound, say eight-ish?"

Ryo gathered that the answer had been an enthusiastic affirmative, as the Commissioner subsequently made arrangements to pick her up at that time. Then he asked her to come up to his office on her next break to collect and distribute the remaining balloons.

"Sir," Ryo couldn't help saying, even though he knew it was none of his business, "Isn't Diana still in town?"

"Yes, and that's why I won't be at Marianne's disposal until Sunday," said Rose with a roguish grin. For a moment he looked so like Dee that Ryo almost grinned back at him, but managed to master the urge in time. His heart couldn't help going out to Diana. How difficult it must be to be in love with a man such as this.

"Ah Ryo," the Commissioner sighed. "I do wish you could bring yourself to relax in my company."

"I AM relaxed, sir," said Ryo with a tight smile. "Now about the case involving the allegedly corrupt IA Lieutenant...I believe you said you wanted to discuss it?"

"Businesslike as ever, Detective. Do sit down." The Commissioner indicated one of the comfortable leather wing chairs facing his desk. "I have heard this story from Lieutenant Smith, of course, but I would like to hear it again from you. Tell me everything, please, from the beginning."

Ryo told him about how the search for Thomas had led them to Eddie, who had in turn led them to Detective Shaver. When they realized that Lt. Abernathy was the common denominator between Eddie Calvetti and Detective Shaver, they began to be suspicious. So far they didn't have anything that would stand up in court, but the case was evolving and becoming more concrete with each passing day.

Rose listened carefully, occasionally asking a pertinent question, or requesting that Ryo run over a certain set of details again. Whatever the Commissioner's shortcomings, Ryo had to allow that the man had excellent police instincts.

The Commissioner then asked him for his personal impressions of Abernathy, Shaver, and Eddie. He wanted to know where Ryo thought this case was going and what the next steps ought to be. Finally he leaned back in his big leather chair, and gave Ryo a satisfied look.

"Thank you Detective. I now have a much clearer picture of the facts. And although your esteemed Lieutenant would probably disagree with me, I believe we will not in fact turn this case over to Internal Affairs just yet."

"Really, sir? That's good news. I think it's too early for them to have it. I'd hate for this whole thing to just get hushed up."

"So would I, although I admit that highly publicized, not to mention televised, accounts of police corruption are somewhat wearing to the spirit. And the morale of all those who serve."

"That's true."

"Of course the danger that this case will just 'disappear' is a very good inducement, Ryo, for us to hang on to it for a while longer, but I have another reason as well."

"Oh?"

"I'm familiar with this fellow, Lieutenant Abernathy. For years he has been hand in glove with the top man here at the Manhattan offices of Internal Affairs, a gentleman by the name of Liam Hennessy. Mr. Hennessy is...a former friend of mine. I have no idea if he's mixed up in this unfortunate business or not, but even if he isn't, it would really have been his responsibility to prevent it. As he shall presently learn."

"I don't want any of them to get away with this," said Ryo, who was just a little bit surprised to find himself entering so wholeheartedly into the Commissioner's spirit of revenge, although in his case, it was directed more at Mike Abernathy. "These men are guilty of abusing their power and breaking a sacred trust. Their actions tarnish MY badge as well as their own!"

Rose looked at Ryo and his upper lip twitched slightly. "It seems to me that your passions have been, er..._aroused_ by this case, Ryo, in quite an unmistakable way," he remarked in a mild tone of voice, but something about the way he held himself reminded Ryo of a cat facing prey that it considered to be cornered. And, as usual, he didn't like the Commissioner's choice of words.

"Er, um, yes, well, I do feel rather strongly about it," Ryo agreed, straightening in his chair, instantly back on his guard.

"You know, I could put you in charge of this case -- for now. Would you like that?"

"Yes, of course I would," Ryo answered honestly, taking the cup of ambition that was being offered to him. His voice was grim, as would be Lt. Abernathy's future, if he were to have anything to say about it.

"Yes, I can quite see that you're the man for the job," murmured Rose, looking at him approvingly. "And of course, once one starts having…strong and heated feelings about a case, it's a shame not to put them to work, wouldn't you agree?"

"Er, yes sir, I suppose so."

"Speaking of work and heated feelings, how is my nemesis, Detective Laytner?"

"He's just fine, sir," answered Ryo with surprise. It wasn't often that the Commissioner voluntarily brought up Dee's name when they were alone together.

"Your relationship with him has recently undergone a change, has it not?"

"S--sir?" Ryo couldn't control the blush that instantly flooded the skin of his face. _Holy shit._

"I see that I'm correct, then. Approximately two weeks ago, perhaps a bit longer, if I'm not mistaken? How's that going, by the way?" The Commissioner's tone was disconcertingly friendly and casual. Ryo was stunned. How on earth did he know? He thought they had been so careful. What he had once believed to be a secret was rapidly being unraveled as no secret at all.

"Commissioner, with all due respect, I fail to see how my relationship with Detective Laytner has any relevance towards this case," said Ryo primly, determined not to admit to anything.

"Ah, but I've seen many an inter-office romance ruin a perfectly good working relationship," said Rose. "That's why the NYPD frowns on such behavior."

Ryo was silent.

"Relax, Ryo. I have no wish to make trouble for you. After all, you know all about my little understanding with the lovely Marianne from the front desk, don't you? It amounts to much the same thing. I wouldn't like there to be secrets between us, or for you to feel that you couldn't trust me. All I wish to say about whatever it is that you have going on with Detective Laytner is: be careful. And of course, if it all goes sour and you need me to transfer him to one of the more remote NYPD precincts, all you have to do is let me know." Rose smiled at him reassuringly, and Ryo felt a little sick.

"Er...Thank you sir, but Dee and I work very well together." He got hastily to his feet. "If that will be all?"

Rose remained seated and deliberately swept his eyes over Ryo's body in an intimate, and to Ryo's mind, insolent way.

"Such a shame," he murmured. "Your first time with a man, and it had to be with that Neanderthal." He shook his head and gave a small, eloquent shudder to convey his distress at the waste of it all. "Tell me, Ryo," he added. "Was it everything you expected?"

Ryo was speechless with indignation. He was willing to forgive a lot from Commissioner Rose on account of his position, but this was going too far.

"Sir! How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful way!" Unconsciously, he had clenched his hands into fists, causing the Commissioner to run an interested but wary eye over them. "This doesn't reflect well on you. You're my commanding officer!"

At that moment, Rose's face hardened and he rose slowly from his seat to tower masterfully over Ryo.

"Yes, I am," he said in a voice of steel clothed in velvet. "I'm glad to see that you occasionally take that into consideration. Now, do you want to be the Lead Detective on this case or not? _If_ I allow you to see it through to the end, that is."

"Yes sir, I do," Ryo ground out resentfully.

"Good. You DO understand what a high profile, multi-level case like this can do for your career, don't you?"

"Yes sir."

"Then answer the question, Ryo." Rose's lips seemed to be smiling slightly, and his voice was soft again, but the steel had not gone away. It was still there, in his intent eyes, in the set of his shoulders, in the purposeful way that he moved as he came around the front of his desk to stand before Ryo.

But, contrary to Rose's expectations, Ryo did not take a step back, nor did he drop his eyes. He met the Commissioner's challenging gaze head on. This was something that the taller man had always found fascinating. Ryo could be embarrassed, but not bullied.

"Well? How was your first taste?"

Ryo unclenched his fists and, despite the four-inch height difference between them, somehow managed to look down his nose at the Commissioner for one drawn out and derisive moment, before turning on his heel and walking to the door. He could feel Rose's eyes boring into his back as he paused to untie the balloons.

"Detective McLean, I have not dismissed you," Rose warned in a low, dangerous voice.

"Oh, don't put yourself to the trouble, sir. I'll dismiss myself," said Ryo serenely. He opened the door and made as if to go, but then seemed to change his mind. He stopped and looked back at the Commissioner, who raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Dee has consistently exceeded my expectations," Ryo said, "in every way that matters. You, on the other hand, regularly fall short of them. Do what you want with that case. You're the commanding officer. _You _should take that into consideration too, and act like one."

He shut the door with a click and was gone, leaving Rose all alone with the remaining balloons clustered like silent retainers around him.

The Commissioner stared incredulously at the door for a moment before giving a shout of laughter. Such balls! Such sweet dignity! God, he wanted Ryo McLean. Ten times more than he had five minutes ago. He well knew that Ryo was interested in advancing his career, and this evening his delightful and unexpected adherence to principle over professional ambition, coupled with those adorable blushes of his, had left the Commissioner with a curious feeling of tightness in his chest and groin.

Ryo was one in a thousand, no, one in ten thousand. There was a certain strength in him, a special kind of purity. Those two qualities Rose saw as obstacles to the inner Ryo, the one that wanted to compete, win, glory in revenge and break the rules when it suited him. THAT was the Ryo he was determined to awaken.

Someday.

In the interim, he was looking forward to the regular progress reports he would require from Detective McLean. They might occasionally need to do one or two of them over dinner. Perhaps champagne would not be entirely amiss, especially if the case yielded breakthroughs, which he rather suspected it would.

It was too bad Laytner had turned out to be good in bed. Rose had always had a feeling that that might be the case. But he was far from daunted. Laytner was nothing if not consistent. The man was a screw-up. After all, he'd coasted along for years as a detective on luck alone. How long would his luck last with Ryo? According to the Commissioner's reckoning, it was about time for it to run out.

Commissioner Rose would lay odds that there would be trouble in Paradise before too long, if in fact, there wasn't already. He would do what he could to help that along, of course. Grinning, he picked up the phone.

"Lieutenant Smith," he said cheerfully. "We're going to allow McLean and Laytner to have the IA corruption case for a bit longer, and I want to make sure that McLean is put in charge. I authorize any extra staff and surveillance equipment he might need. Let him know, will you? Thank you. You're a good man."

Now, how to get Ryo off his mind? Ah, the delectable Diana. With the way he was feeling, they might have to skip dinner at Amici's and go straight to her hotel room. It would be Diana's privilege to help him find relief for the tumultuous feelings that Detective McLean had once more aroused in him.

Just then, someone scratched on the door. The Commissioner recognized that sound, and his mouth twitched in an anticipatory smirk. "Come in, Marianne," he called, quickly schooling the muscles of his face into a gently seductive expression before she entered, beaming, and ran straight into his arms.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 20.


	21. Chapter 21

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 21_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Worksafe. There's some swearing, though.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The acronym LEO stands for law enforcement officer. There are more author's notes at the end. Chapter 22 is already up on my livejournal page. If you want the address, email me and ask me for it, because this site doesn't permit direct links.

Thank you to BlueSimplicity and Mtemplar for your help and suggestions.

Thank you also to all the people out there who regularly read my story! Fan Fiction dot net is a very supportive site and I'm thrilled that so many people have taken the time to write me some encouraging words or have put me on their list of favorites. It means a lot to me.

**A New Day Chapter 21**

"What the fuck? Why the hell not?" Dee asked, astonished.

"Well, it's like the second time this has happened," replied Detective Shaver, shifting uncomfortably on his bar stool. "The first time my piece went missing, I reported it. But now that it's happened _again_ in such a short period...I just can't bring myself to tell the Lieutenant. It's starting to look, well, suspicious."

"Damn right it is. Do you think it has anything to do with that drop you made the other day?"

"I dunno."

"Have you thought more about how you want this whole thing to go down? We have a stiff in the morgue and a line on that junkie whose charges you got your lieutenant to write off. You know we're probably gonna have him before the weekend is out." Without taking his eyes off the other man, Dee turned his lighter end over end in his palm and congratulated himself on having always been a damn good liar. It had just never worked with Mother Maria. That woman was like a walking lie detector. Luckily, Shaver didn't seem to possess a fraction of her skill. "Once Calvetti starts talking," he added, "the shit is gonna hit the fan."

"Dunno about that either." Shaver was looking straight ahead at the bottles behind the bar, a stubborn set to his mouth.

"Detective," Dee said. "My lieutenant is running out of patience. He's hot to get you brought up on murder charges. My partner and I have convinced him that you're of best use to us as a witness against the guy you're working for, rather than as the target of our investigation. We really need a name here, or something to show you've got cooperation on your mind."

Shaver's shoulders suddenly slumped in defeat. He downed half of the whiskey in his glass and grimaced as it burned its way down his throat. "Okay," he said. "Fuck it. I'll give you a name. Lieutenant Mike Abernathy. Internal Affairs. No surprise to you, right?"

"Nope. That's the guy. Anyone else you answer to?"

"No, there's no chain of command as far as I know. But he's got more like me and more like Calvetti."

"How many more?"

"No idea. I usually deliver to a guy named Al, but once in a while Mike has me deliver to one of the others."

"Keeping in mind that this is all off the record at this point and you're not gonna do it anymore on account of your cover being pretty much blown," said Dee, "why don't you give me the routine here? I mean, do you get the drugs for him or does he get them elsewhere and hand 'em over to you for delivery?"

"Both," Shaver replied, "I keep a portion of whatever I confiscate in busts and hand it over to him. When I'm supposed to make a delivery, usually I get a call, and then whatever I'm supposed to drop turns up in the trunk of my car."

"You and Mike get along?"

"Yeah, mostly."

"Okay, so let's brainstorm about why he might suddenly want you out of the picture, if in fact that turns out to be the case."

"Look, I'm far from being on board with the idea that he set me up, but I'll play along here. IF he wants me gone, it could be because I told him I was thinking about quitting the force and going back to the Navy. I've been wanting out for a long time. But I really don't think he's after me. He had no idea that a couple of cops were going to follow me that day. It was just chance, when you think about it. And even so, there was no warrant and we all know you basically got no case without one, 'cause I ain't counting that bullshit you're trying to feed me about your lieutenant and the DA. But if Mike was wanting to kill his dealer, I'm pissed that he used me to do it. And I don't see where the sudden disappearance of my gun ties into this. I mean, what the hell would he want with my piece? If it gets used to pop someone, there'll be an investigation, in which HIS name is likely to come up. It just doesn't make sense to me that he had something to do with it."

"So you say. But you know what I think? If you didn't have some suspicion that Abernathy's behind it, you wouldn't have called US."

"I don't know what the fuck's going on, to tell you the truth. Mike's not the only guy with his foot on my neck, but he's definitely my biggest problem nowadays. You know, I never did trust that bastard. He made my skin crawl from day one. But I haven't given him a real reason to get rid of me."

"He's got one now," observed Dee. "Two actually. First of all, you're no more use to him on account of having been made. So that makes you a walking time bomb of a threat to him, if you ever decided to come clean about what you know. And second, here you are talkin' to me. About him. He'll be pissed if he finds out about that."

"Yeah," Shaver looked sideways at him, and although the man's face didn't change, Dee could feel his uneasiness. He took out his smokes and offered him one, which the Bronx detective accepted with a curt nod. It really was amazing what a change had come over the bastard. When they had first met, Shaver had confidently and contemptuously refused to even talk to the two detectives from the 27th. At the time, they had both suspected that it was a case of the best defense being a good offense, but as it hadn't worked, Detective Shaver no longer seemed inclined to waste any more energy on attack. Besides, from what he was hinting at, the guy appeared to be in even more trouble than Dee had hitherto suspected. He couldn't summon up much personal sympathy for him, though. Beginning with Officer Rick Herbay back in his uniform days, he never had been able to stomach the behavior and attitude of LEOs who had gone over to the dark side. It brought back memories of how betrayed he had felt by Jess Latener, his long-dead 'father', when the man's association with Bruno's cartel had come to light during Dee's fifteenth year. The ensuing deaths of both Arnon and Jess had left Dee with a powerful aversion to any kind of police corruption and a determination to never allow himself to fall into the same trap that Jess had. At this point he could only guess at what had happened to bring about Ned Shaver's fall, but regardless of how justified it may or may not have been, he felt begrimed by association even sitting next to this sonofabitch. If there was one thing Dee knew about dirty cops, it was that they never operated in a total vacuum of ignorance. The people around them usually suspected something. Dee hoped that no one he knew would see him drinking with Detective Shaver and assume the worst.

Shaver drained his first drink and immediately caught the bartender's eye, holding up his empty glass and signaling for another. "No," he remarked, "I'm no more use to him, am I? At least not for a while. But I got some other enemies too, and between them and Mike, I feel like I'm getting squeezed down the digestive tract of a boa constrictor. I got no illusions about still being in good shape by the time I finally get shit out the other end. I don't know why the hell I'm telling you this, except I guess I'm hoping you can maybe cut open the snake and get me the hell outta here."

"I know that feeling, man," Dee said carefully. "I've been in some tight places in my time as well."

"Yeah, I thought that about you. You got 'hard life' written all over you."

"I do?" Dee was genuinely surprised. He had thought it no longer showed.

"Yeah. Not your partner, though. He's a yuppie through and through. Seems like a good cop, though," he added quickly, thinking there was probably some loyalty there. His eyes darted for a moment in Dee's direction before making one of his habitual sweeps of the room.

"Uh, yeah, he's a damn good cop. But what's this about my hard life being written all over me?"

"Well, I can smell it on you, to be honest. Figuratively of course. Yeah, you may be a pretty boy with a nice suit and gel in your hair, but you still got the look of the street to you. I did my homework too, Laytner. You're a hot-shot detective now, but you came up in life the hard way."

Somewhere between the first and second whiskey, Shaver had loosened his polyester department-store tie significantly from around his bull neck and had undone the top couple of buttons of his rumpled dress shirt. The contrast in appearance between the two men was striking.

"Yeah, it's true," said Dee. "I was a little street rat, a real punk in my day. But I managed to turn it around. Plus, there was some shit I'm just plain lucky I never got caught for." Dee shot him a recalcitrant grin, hoping they were bonding somewhat.

Shaver's lips twisted in what might have been an answering smile, except that there was a little too much bitterness there. "Luck, huh? I could've used a little of that."

"So, uh, who are these other enemies you were talking about?" essayed Dee, not really expecting the man to bite.

He didn't. "That's a card I'm not ready to play," he growled dismissively.

"But you're wondering if it's maybe them and not Abernathy who might be behind the disappearance of your two firearms?"

"Can't say." He shrugged. "But I got a bad feeling that someone somewhere is thinking of setting me up."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here," said Dee. "Your association with Abernathy goes back to last December, but you were already in trouble, long before he came along. You and your late partner had an incident in the Ames warehouse district in Brooklyn. My sources tell me that there are at least two gangs operating in that area, the Stone Blood Boys and the Dyre Devils. You are or were doing the occasional job for one of those groups, and now it's all gone sour. Am I almost on the money?"

Shaver sat rigid and silent, his face like granite, his knuckles white where his fingers gripped his glass. He didn't want to talk about that, no way. He didn't want to remember that night. That was the turning point, the moment when it had all gotten away on him.

&&&&&&&&

Ryo was dusting the living room. Bikky sat at the computer, acutely conscious of exactly where Ryo was as he moved about with that absurd bright pink feather duster that, in Bikky's opinion, a man should be ashamed to own, even if it HAD been a present from a female.

"'Scuse me." Ryo passed directly behind Bikky and bent down to whisk dust off a planter. When he straightened up, he glanced at the computer screen, which revealed that Bikky seemed to be involved in a search for basketball clothing. His eyes instinctively flicked to the bottom of the screen to see if Bikky had any other windows open, and he was surprised by what he saw.

"What are you doing on eBay?"

"Uh, just lookin' for stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"I don't know, just stuff." Bikky sounded bored and casual. A little TOO casual, to Ryo's mind. He clicked on a basketball jersey, and said, "Cool! Look at this, Ryo. And it's on sale."

Ryo knew a distraction ruse when he heard one. "Yeah, it's very cool. Now, back to eBay. Do you have an account or something?"

"Jeez, Ryo, can't a guy have a little privacy here? Why do you always gotta act like I'm up to something?"

"Because I know you, that's why. Besides, you're not old enough to join eBay, so I can't help but wonder what you're doing on there."

"Well, if I found something I really wanted, I'd do what I could to make you join and get it for me, now wouldn't I?"

"So it's not a secret, then? You're not looking at anything you wouldn't want me to know about?"

Bikky wilted slightly under Ryo's piercing gaze. His mind worked frantically, trying to think of a suitable response that wouldn't be an out-and-out lie.

"Show me the eBay screen," commanded Ryo.

Sulkily, Bikky complied. Ryo, who had been expecting to see something like vintage copies of Playboy, was a little disconcerted to see pictures of high-end cookware. It was absolutely the last thing he would have expected Bikky to be interested in.

"Pots and pans!" Ryo leaned in and took a closer look. "And you DO have an account. Are you buying or selling?"

"Um, selling."

"What the--? And someone bid $250?" It suddenly dawned on Ryo what was going on and his hand descended heavily on Bikky's shoulder, causing the boy to jump guiltily.

"B, does this have anything to do with Eddie?"

"Aw, come on Ryo. The guy's on the run. He needs money."

"He needs police protection, too. But I'm not going to permit him to use my son to help him sell stolen merchandise. Where is this set of pots and pans?"

"At a friend's place." Bikky looked anxiously at the computer screen, upset with himself for having been caught by Ryo. Eddie could have used that money. And he had to get that box of cookware that was currently under his bed the hell out of this apartment ASAP, or he was dead meat.

"Well, you call that friend and tell him I want those pans brought over here tomorrow. I'm taking them in to Stolen Property. They're going back to whichever store they came from."

"Yes sir," said Bikky hoping to avert a lecture. But it was not to be.

"And you, Bikky! How could you agree to something like this? While I admit it's not as bad as selling drugs..." And he was off and running. Winding down five minutes later, he ended with, "I just can't believe Eddie, of all people, is selling on eBay!"

"Eddie's a lot more organized than people think," muttered Bikky, sidling toward the door.

Once back in the safety of his room, Bikky dialed Carol's number on his cell phone. When she answered, there were sounds of conversation and music in the background.

"Hey Cal. How's the party?"

"Oh, it's no fun without you. Everyone is talking about you and wishing you could be here."

"Yeah?" Despite having convinced himself that he didn't give a shit, Bikky felt absurdly pleased to hear that he was missed and that assuaged to some degree the grating disappointment of not being able to attend the basketball team's victory party.

Carol dropped her voice. "Cecile is SO bummed," she said. "I guess she didn't realize you were still grounded."

"Uh...Which one is Cecile again?" Bikky asked diplomatically, even though he knew exactly who she was.

"Oh just one of the cheerleaders," said Carol. "Nobody important. She's not even that pretty."

"Well never mind her," Bikky said. "Listen Carol, I need you to do me a favor."

&&&&&&&&&

Detective Shaver held onto his fourth glass until long after he had finished the whiskey in it. Dee noticed that his eyes jumped periodically to the bartender as though he really wanted to order a fifth, but knew he shouldn't. There was probably a real struggle going on under the surface. Not that Shaver appeared to be drunk. Far from it, although he'd tossed back his first three like a career boozer who had just busted out of rehab. But the man was a grim drinker. Dee wondered how much whiskey it would take before he relaxed and cracked a joke or two.

However, the evening had gone well, although they never did get on first name terms. That had been one of Dee's goals at the outset of the meeting, but as time wore on it became apparent that neither seemed to want it. Although Shaver hadn't become as loquacious under the effects of alcohol as Dee had hoped, he had given him particulars about the work he did for Abernathy that made the younger man want to spit in disgust. Abernathy had this poor schmuck risking his career and his freedom a couple of times a month for peanuts. Ned hadn't admitted it, but it was clear he wasn't exactly doing it for the money, although the fact that he had accepted payment at all would probably be held against him. Dee had tried without much more success to get some information out of Shaver about his alleged involvement with the gang that had shot his partner. It appeared to be a touchy subject that made the other man lapse into tense silence.

Finally, Detective Shaver set down his empty glass on the bar. "Something I've been wondering about," he began.

"What's that?"

"How many people know the results of the lab test?"

Dee thought for a moment. "Well, the results aren't official yet, so only you, me, my partner, our lieutenant, and the girl in the lab. Possibly Mr. Calvetti, but I doubt it. Oh, and I expect the Commish knows by now because he was asking my partner about this case just before I left to meet you."

"Commissioner Rose?" Shaver seemed taken aback.

"Yeah, he keeps an office at the 27th. We're his pet precinct." Dee couldn't quite keep the sneer out of his voice.

"Fuck, I didn't realize you guys were so well-connected. Does he actually take an interest in your cases?"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Whaddaya mean, 'unfortunately'? Sounds like career gold to me."

"Not for a guy like me. Anytime I get up to something I shouldn't, he's right there, taking an interest."

Shaver's mouth twitched a little. "Yeah, the brass got a talent for that, don't they?"

Dee noticed that Shaver was looking thoughtful and realized that the man had been impressed by his connection to the NYPD Commissioner.

"You know, I could pitch your case to him," he offered. "The way I see it, you've been abused by a senior officer who's been blackmailing you. But if it goes that far, we're gonna need a statement. And you might find yourself wearing a wire at some point not too far down the road. If you're looking for a deal, he's gonna want to know exactly what you're bringing to the table."

"I want some things too. I want immunity from prosecution. I want no red flags in my file that will prevent me from reenlisting with the U.S. Navy. If I gotta spend even a day in jail, you can all go fuck yourselves."

"Will you testify?"

"I ain't crazy about that. I don't want my son to find out that his old man got mixed up in something so...dishonorable."

"Well, it might come to that. But if you can get us some other names and if THEIR testimony is enough to put him away, who knows?"

"Yeah. Well, again, lemme go home and think about it." Shaver stood and reached for his wrinkled suit jacket, which had been occupying the stool next to him as a means of preventing anyone from sitting there. "I have to make a decision about which one of my shitty choices will do the least amount of damage to what's left of my life, and hopefully not land me in the morgue next to that hooker."

"Okay. I'll talk to the Lieutenant and the Commissioner and we'll start putting together a deal. I'll be in touch. But before you go, why were you asking me about the lab results?"

"Oh right. Well, see, Lt. Abernathy knows about the fentanyl mix. He brought it up when I met up with him last night. Don't know where he got the info from, but I thought I'd mention it."

"Thanks," Dee offered the man his hand, feeling a strong reluctance to do so, and hoping it didn't show. "I'll let my partner know."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

When Dee got back to the station, it was pushing 8 pm. The half-empty CI room and his office seemed dingy and dreary without Ryo's presence to make it bearable. Well, at least JJ wasn't there to make things worse. Dee wondered how he and Drake were doing on their fact-finding mission to Canada. At least Rose had finally gone the fuck home. Dee picked up Ryo's water bottle and took a swig from it. Feeling kind of hungry, he started opening and closing Ryo's drawers, searching for food. Sometimes his partner had snacks like crackers or nuts stashed in his desk. In the second file drawer, hidden behind some neatly labeled files and a spare tie rolled up in a plastic bag, he struck pay dirt in the form of a bag of pretzels. When he pulled them out, however, he noticed that there was a note taped to them. It read, "Dee, stop ransacking my desk right now. If you eat these pretzels, you have to replace them. And when are you going to replace my mug?"

When Dee finally stopped laughing, he called Ryo.

"Dude", he said. "I just wanted to tell you that your snarky little note has totally made my day."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. I can barely understand you. I take it you're eating my pretzels?"

"Yeah and I'm sitting here feeling guilty about your mug and hoping I can remember to replace it soon, but mainly I'm thinking about how fucking adorable you are."

"Don't suck up to me. You're lucky I didn't stick a mousetrap in that drawer. Just replace the mug and the pretzels. And tell me how the meeting went."

"It went good. He named the 'bad lieutenant' and I got him to tell me all kinds of other things too. Man, is this guy in some pretty deep shit."

"Is he willing to make a statement?"

"Look, Ryo, I really don't think we oughta talk about this over the phone. Any chance we can get together tonight?"

"But you're working until eleven! You wouldn't even be able to get here until eleven-thirty at the earliest."

"Well, technically I'm working until eleven, but in exhange for performing a small service for James that involves helping him get a date with a particular woman, I'm actually gonna be out of here by nine-thirty. I was thinking we could go to my place," he added hopefully.

"I don't know about that..." Ryo sounded hesitant. "What about Bikky? I can't leave him home alone overnight."

"I'll go home, shower, and change and pick you up at ten-thirty. I promise to have you home by one –- one fifteen. The brat can manage by himself for a couple of hours can't he?"

"Dee, you know I'd love to see you, but I'm afraid it's going to turn into a pretty late evening, and I'm already tired."

"Come on, babe. When a man is tired, what he needs is a good massage."

"A starter massage?"

Dee could hear the smile in Ryo's voice. Time to press the advantage. "Nah," he replied, lowering his voice seductively. "You see, the starter massage doesn't include a blow job. I think you'd benefit more from the deluxe version."

&&&&&&

Bikky sat in his room pondering how best to get the cookware set out of the apartment and either back to Eddie or into the care of one of his other friends. He was damned if he was just going to hand it over to Ryo merely because it was stolen property. Eddie was in big trouble and he needed enough money to get a roof over his head, and Bikky felt that was more important than returning a stolen item to a store that had probably already put in an insurance claim on it anyway. This problem would be so simple to deal with if he wasn't frigging grounded. He considered calling Dave and getting him to drop by with some story. Trouble was, Dave didn't know Eddie and would probably blow it if Ryo asked him any questions at all. Carol had said she would mail it to whoever wanted to buy it, but she refused to keep it hidden in her room.

"It's too big," she had told him. "I don't have the closet space for it, and I already have lots of stuff under my bed. I don't want to have to explain to my aunt what it's doing in my room."

Figuring he'd best go see what Ryo was up to, Bikky opened his door a crack and looked out just in time to see his foster dad heading into the master bedroom with the phone to his ear. From the goofy smile on his face it was clear he was talking to Dorkhead. Bikky brightened. Of course! It was Friday night and Dee would be doing his damnedest to get Ryo over to his place. If he succeeded, it would simplify matters considerably. Bikky shut the door again, and pulling out his History homework, started reading about the pioneers. Might as well do something productive while he waited for the result of Ryo's phone call. His money was on Dee. Now there was a guy who wouldn't take no for an answer. He was wasted as a cop. He should have been a used car salesman.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Dee was running late, and feeling stressed about it. Several things had gone wrong since he had last talked to Ryo. That bastard James had arrived fifteen minutes late to cover for him, which had resulted in his having to take the quickest shower in human history. He had then been forced to dress without his customary care and attention. There hadn't been any time to grab a quick bite of anything and he had eaten nothing since that bag of pretzels several hours ago. Traffic was Friday-night hairy, too. Everyone seemed to be driving like it was a full moon or something. And now, here was Ryo, standing on the street in front of his apartment, looking kind of pissed.

"C'mon, Ryo, get in! I'm double-parked here." He turned his head and thrust his arm out of the driver's side window as he flipped someone off. "Fuck you too, asshole!"

Ryo decided to forego his right to drive in favor of not impeding the flow of traffic in front of his building any more than Dee was already doing. He quickly jumped into the front passenger seat, saying, "Drive."

Dee shouted out the window again and then gunned the engine and the car lurched forward, causing Ryo to grab for his seat belt. For a short time they had an almost empty road ahead of them, since Dee's double-parking incident had prevented everyone in his lane from advancing. They sped along East Fifteenth Street at well above the legal limit, weaving from left to right, as Dee grumbled about "Fucking impatient shitheads who can't wait ten fucking seconds," and so on.

Dee was driving rather too fast and recklessly, in Ryo's opinion. He shot through two yellow lights, narrowly missed a pair of pedestrians who turned around and yelled at them and not only turned left onto a street that didn't permit left turns, but did it practically on two wheels.

"Dee, for God's sake, what's your hurry?"

"I just wanna get us to my place ASAP before we lose the mood."

"Being afraid for my life is already taking care of killing the mood, thank you very much," Ryo complained. "Can't you just -- Ack! Watch out for the--"

Leaning on the horn, Dee swerved wildly.

"--cyclist."

"Almost there, Dude. Relax."

_Relax?_ Ryo shook his head in disbelief, as Dee started swearing again. Ryo sighed irritably. He was starting to get annoyed with all the drama. "What is it NOW?" he snapped.

"Sonofabitch! I'm out of smokes. I can't fucking believe this."

"Well, let's stop and pick some up, " Ryo suggested with exaggerated patience. "There's a bodega up there on the corner."

"Sure-- Fuck!"

"For god's sake, now what?"

"There're two goddamned cabs in my way! And one of 'em's double-parked! What is WITH everyone tonight? Shithead!" Dee honked sharply as they swept past.

Ryo glared silently ahead through the windshield, heartily regretting he had ever decided to come out tonight.

"Sorry, sweetheart," said Dee. "I'm a bit on edge. Say, how about Freddie's? It's got parking."

"It's also got bad memories," muttered Ryo.

"Come on, dude," said Dee as he pulled into the small parking lot outside Freddie's Market. "What are the chances of THAT happening again? That was just a one off. This is New York City, babe!" He threw the transmission into park, and opened the door. "Coming?" he asked.

Inside the convenience store, Ryo wandered over to the magazine rack and picked up a copy of _Men's_ _Health_. He flipped through it with moderate interest while Dee stood in line to pay for his cigarettes. Ryo wasn't the only customer killing time by looking through magazines. There was another man standing next to him, who suddenly emitted a gasp, causing Ryo to look up from an informative article on the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. He saw a familiar face looking back at him. The man was about his height with straggly, receding brown hair, a pudgy nose and thick, decidedly fish-like lips. He looked angry and scared at the same time, and he was blushing. He quickly thrust a magazine back in the rack, stuffing it behind _Fishing World_, and hurried out of the store without a backward glance. Ryo suddenly recalled where he had seen that face before. He was one of the two homophobic jerks that Dee had beaten up in the parking lot of this same convenience store the night Bikky had come back from camp! Ryo's mouth dropped open in amazement. Curious, he reached behind _Fishing World_ to see which magazine the man had been so embarrassed about. He was astonished to see that it was a copy of _Passport_. The cover sported a picture of a lean, handsome male model with ripped abs and a sultry look. Ryo quickly put it back, thinking two things at once: _That queer-basher was secretly looking at a gay magazine?_ and _That guy on the cover is NOTHING compared to Dee._ He found himself grinning. How Dee would laugh when he told him.

Just then, his attention was caught by sounds of an altercation outside. He went to the door and looked out through the glass. Four young skinheads were pushing Mr. Homophobia around in the parking lot. It looked like it was about to get ugly. Ryo frowned and pushed open the door.

"You fucking fag!" The boy who had snarled this shoved his victim roughly against one of his companions, who propelled him back into the center.

"I'm not a fag," the man cried. "I'm as straight as you!"

"The fuck you are." Another shove. "I saw you reading that magazine. Get him, Dizz!"

Ryo stepped forward at that moment, shouting, "NYPD! Get off him!" He held his badge aloft. The skinheads froze and stared at him, but the next minute had seen Frank (for indeed it was Frank) bound away from the group and scuttle to seeming safety behind Ryo.

"Break it up boys," Ryo said in his authoritative cop's voice. "Four against one is not cool."

One of them took a step forward, grinning nastily, his eyes moving from Ryo to the quivering man behind him. "How about four against two then?"

Ryo heard Frank give a little scream, and he half turned his head to tell him to stay calm because it was going to be okay, but even as he did so, the man unexpectedly sprang at his back and slapped the badge from his hand. It skittered away on the pavement.

"He's nothing but a cocksucking faggot!" he yelled at the group. "I seen him sucking face with his boyfriend RIGHT HERE in this parking lot! You wanna beat up a fag? Well he's the real deal. Not me."

Frank started rapidly backing away as the boys closed in on Ryo.

"Izzat true? Are you a fuckin' queer? Boydie, go pick up that badge. I wanna see if it's real."

Dee exited the convenience store at that moment, tucking an unlit cigarette into his mouth and fumbling for his lighter. But the unexpected sight of his Ryo surrounded by posturing skinheads and being called every derisive name for 'fag' in the book, caused his mouth to drop open and the cigarette to fall unheeded to the ground. He felt convulsively for his gun and swore when he realized it wasn't there. It was still locked up at home. Shit! He strode forward, feeling black rage building up inside him. He was already in a bad mood and those assholes were going to get the full blast of it unless they backed down and fucked off.

end of chapter 21

Additional author's notes: If you are a resident of or just an expert on New York City, then I have to apologize for a couple of things. I know Manhattan doesn't have convenience stores with parking lots and BlueSimplicity, who is very knowledgeable about New York has already pointed out to me that NYC doesn't really have a problem with homophobic attacks anymore, at least not so much from skinheads. I took a bit of 'literary license' here, as one of the themes of this story is homophobia. So just like Dee and Ryo seem to get into more pickles than their real life counterparts and meet more serial killers, I'm having them meet with a bit more homophobia than other members of the gay community might otherwise experience. Apologies to those who revere realism! Don't smack me…Ow.


	22. Chapter 22

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 22_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Worksafe in the sex department. However, there is swearing. LOTS of swearing.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: Please read and review. There are more author's notes at the end. As you have probably guessed, chapter 23 is already on my Live Journal page. If you want the address, email me and I'll send it to you. I can't post it here because fanfiction dot net doesn't permit links.

A big thank you to BlueSimplicity and Mtemplar!

**A New Day **

_Chapter 22_

Dee strode toward where his partner was standing his ground, attempting to remonstrate with a gang of skinheads who were not looking like they gave a shit one way or another about anything he had to say. They clustered around him like a pack of wolves, slowly closing in. The names they were calling Ryo pierced Dee to the very soul. How many times had he been called those names and shrugged them off? But not Ryo. No one was going to talk like that to his lover while he still had breath in his body.

One of them was holding Ryo's badge and sneering at it. Before he even realized that Dee was there, Dee had punched him in the head and snatched the badge from his hand. He thrust it toward Ryo without taking his eyes from the boys, whom he now realized were a little older than he had thought, early twenties at least.

"You four shitheads wanna spend the weekend in jail? I can make sure you get sent to a place where you can meet all the fags your little hearts desire. Well, do ya?"

There was a moment of testosterone-charged stillness where they all sized each other up, and then with a yell, two of the gang fell upon Dee. Ryo had no choice but to take on the other two.

Of course he made one last effort to defuse the situation. Before Dee had come along and hit one of them, he had actually thought that there was a chance he could talk them down. But now that chance had dwindled to almost nothing. Oh well, he still had to try.

"Come on, guys, you know it's gonna end badly for you if you get into fight with the police," he said, raising his hands in a conciliatory way. "So far, you haven't broken any laws, but that changes the instant you assault a police officer."

"Yeah, but sometimes it ends badly for the police, don't forget," said one of them as he circled around Ryo with his fists up. "Right Mel?"

I ain't convinced he's a cop," replied the other one. "That badge looked pretty damn cheesy to me. Hey homo! We're gonna mess you up, yes we are." He laughed nastily.

Ryo stopped trying to talk and his eyes swung from one to the other with an assessing look. Okay, reason wasn't going to work in this case.

He didn't wait for either one to hit first. His primary motivation was now to dispatch these two as quickly as possible and then help Dee if necessary. Accordingly, he went on the offensive, instinctively adopting a martial arts fighting stance and delivering a punishing roundhouse kick to the thigh of his nearest opponent, followed almost immediately by several punches and another kick. Appearing too hopped up on adrenaline to be deterred by pain, the young man stumbled back, then shouted and lunged forward, aiming two rather wild punches at Ryo's face, which were easily dodged. Ryo grabbed his opponent by the upper arm, crushing the leather of the guy's jacket into his fist, before yanking him forward sharply, just enough to pull him off balance. A split second later, he had swung his opponent's body into the other assailant, sending that one staggering. Without loosening his hold on the arm, Ryo sent his knee thudding into the man's midsection, then rapidly drew back the same leg and kicked him in the face. Only then did he let him go. Not even bothering to watch his first attacker folding to the ground, Ryo transferred his attention to the other one, who hovered just out of his reach, glaring at him with eyes that burned with fear and hatred.

"Fucking dirty fag, I'm gonna kill ya! Get over here!" He snarled breathlessly, but when Ryo took a step forward, he flinched and jumped back. He didn't seem to be done talking, however. "Come on, bitch, let's go!"

Ryo gave him a withering look that conveyed all the contempt he didn't care to voice, and turned toward Dee, who was exchanging punches with the larger of his two fighters. The other one struggled to get to his knees on the ground a few feet away. Ryo recognized him as the one Dee had initially punched in the head. He now had blood dripping down the side of his face; it looked as though he was dazed.

"You okay there, Dee?"

"Yeah man, I got it." Dee didn't look away from his opponent, neatly blocking a blow to his face, taking a hard one to the body, and giving two back. "Call for a paddy wagon if you got a little free time on your hands."

Ryo felt rather than heard the displacement of air behind him as the cowardly one rushed silently at him from behind. Stepping adroitly to the side, he caught him by the arm and neck as he hurtled past and used his own momentum against him to take him down. His assailant hit the ground with a thud and a startled cry in front of him. Ryo still had hold of him with one hand, and his knee descended hard on the man's side to prevent a counter-attack from the ground. With his free hand, he reached forward and grabbed his downed opponent's hand, bending it back at a painful angle.

Just like the last time, a small crowd had gathered. Unfortunately, they weren't watching quietly, and some of them were making openly scornful comments at the sight of four skinheads bested by two ordinary men. Ryo, who had already resigned himself to an hour or two of paperwork back at the station once they had run these guys through booking, decided to give this one a chance.

"If I let you go, are you going to leave off attacking me and get the hell out of here?"

The young guy on the ground turned his head as far as he could, bringing into view a swastika tattooed on the front of his partially shaven skull. The hold Ryo had him in was limiting his movement, but he managed to fix the man above him with a glare from one narrowed eye, and made an unsuccessful attempt to spit at him. Perhaps he was spurred on by the sneers of the bystanders, or perhaps he just wasn't very bright. In any case, he gave the wrong answer.

"Fuck you, faggot!" he hissed.

Ryo sighed and twisted hard on his wrist, only marginally sorry for the sharp scream of pain this produced. If his attackers had been fewer in number, he would have tried harder not to hurt them, but when one was outnumbered, it was necessary to put one or two of them out of the game if possible. He was relieved that despite not having practiced Karate or really done much of anything for the past two months, his body still instinctively remembered what to do. He rose gracefully to his feet, looking about him as he did so. His two attackers were both down and Dee's other guy was still on the ground, but his partner was still busy with the big one, who was puffing and panting now, unable to keep his guard up and therefore taking more shots to the head and face from a very pissed-off looking Dee. It looked as though it would all be over soon. Even though he thought the store employees had probably already called the police, Ryo got out his cell phone, intending to at least make sure dispatch radioed ahead to whichever units were on their way there to let them know that he and Dee were not only cops, but also had the situation under control. It was at that moment when something cold and metallic pressed firmly against the back of his neck and he heard the unmistakable click of a firearm being cocked to fire. He froze.

"Asshole!" snarled a voice, which seemed to be coming from just behind the gun. "Don't fucking move or I'll blow a hole in your head big enough to drive a hummer through. And drop the fucking phone. You're gonna pay for this. Hey Dizz! Get up off the ground, you pussy! What'd he do to you, man? It's payback time."

Dizz struggled to his feet, clutching his injured wrist, face chalk white with pain. "I think he broke my fuckin' wrist, man," Dizz said hoarsely.

"No shit. Lookit what he did to my teeth!"

"Gross, Mel, don't fuckin' wiggle 'em at me like that."

"Turn around, you fucker. Slowly. Yeah, that's right, like that. So you like to mess with boys, huh? Don't give a crap whose life you destroy do ya, you gay piece of shit?"

As Ryo was now facing the one who had been addressed as Mel, he was able to see that he did in fact have two loose front teeth. He didn't seem to be feeling any pain, though. Maybe he was high on something because he was certainly talking in a very strange way. What was this about destroying lives?

"Whaddaya wanna do to him, man?" Mel's eyes darted to Dizz for a second, at which every muscle in Ryo's body gathered to spring. "Oh no you don't. I thought I fuckin' told you to stay still. Dizz, I got him covered for ya. Wanna break his wrist to get him back for yours? Maybe mess up his pretty face too?"

"Tell him to get on the ground," Dizz growled. "Gonna put the boots to him. Can't use my hands, but I got my steel-toes on. You're gonna pay ten times over for what you did to me, you bastard." This last was addressed to Ryo, who didn't spare him a glance, his attention being wholly concentrated on the man with the gun.

"Ryo!" Dee hollered.

"Stay back, or I'll blow your boyfriend away!"

"For what, you fucking crybaby? For winning an unfair fight against superior odds? Little boys who wanna brawl but don't know how should go take lessons instead of bringing guns to make sure ALL their friends get sent up as accessories."

"I mean it, I'll blow his brains out!" Mel yelled angrily and it was evident that Dee's words had stung.

"You didn't even get one hit in, you fucking wimp. I saw you; you fight like a girl and you know it."

"Shut the fuck up or it'll be you who gets shot!"

Dee pulled out his badge and yelled. "We're NYPD, you moron. You gonna shoot a cop? Got any idea how long you'll get put away for that?"

"Hey come on, Mel," puffed the big guy who had been fighting with Dee. "This ain't just one guy with a fake badge. There's two of them. And they fight like cops. Come on, let's get outta here."

"Fuck you, Bear, you asshole! Look at my fuckin' teeth! And Dizz got a broken wrist! You think he should get away with that?"

Bear cocked his head, and for a moment everyone fell quiet. Above the ever-present sound of traffic, they could hear the wail of sirens in the distance.

"Hear that?" said Ryo softly. "Back-up's on its way. If you run now, you might even get away. Then you won't have to spend the summer and a good chunk of next year in jail."

"He's right, man," said Dizz. "Let's blow."

"Yeah," added Dee pointedly to him. "You're gonna have real problems fighting off the fags in the slammer with one arm in a cast."

Dizz gave him a look of pure loathing, yelled an incoherent insult, and started running. Bear joined him. That left two: Mel and the one with the bloody head, who had clambered to his feet and was looking slightly dazed.

"Mel," he called out. "What's up with the gun? C'mon, let's go. I hear sirens, man."

"Boydie, don't you run off on me too. What a bunch of pussies you guys are. Just watch me plug this fuckin' child-molesting fag, then we'll go. How often do ya get a chance to plug a fag?" He laughed breathlessly, and his eyes glittered in a crazed kind of way. That light-haired bastard was freaking him out, staring at him for so long without blinking or changing that strange, blank expression on his face.

"Actually, I don't really care if he's a fag," said Boydie miserably. "I just wanted to kick the shit outta someone, that's all. Guns kinda take the fun out of it. Not that it's exactly been _fun_ tonight…"

"Come on kid, drop your piece and hit the road. Take your brain-dead pal here with you." Dee sounded confident and even slightly bored. "This has been a HUGE waste of time and I fucking need a cigarette." But he was anything but confident. A whacked out skinhead was threatening to shoot Ryo at point blank range, and here he was, unarmed for what was likely the first time in his adult life. He cursed himself for rushing out of his apartment without bothering to bring his gun. This was something he had criticized Ryo for in the past, and now he had gone and done it himself. If anything happened to Ryo...

"Dee, stop talking for a sec," Ryo called, startling Mel so that the gun jumped in his hands. "Mel," he said, "I can see you're real angry."

"You fucking bet I'm angry."

"Well, see, I don't think it's me you're really angry at. I'm getting the sense that someone hurt you...in the past--"

"Shut the fuck up, you queer! What the hell do you know about it?"

"I know that in my job I see people like you every day. People who've been abused, sometimes sexually..."

"Just shut your fuckin' mouth! Shut UP already!"

"Mel, there's help available for people like you." Ryo didn't think that was strictly true unless Mel had one hell of a good medical insurance program, which was probably not the case, but he said it anyway. "Come on, drop the gun before you do something that will shadow you for the rest of your life."

Mel took a deep breath and his resolve seemed to waver momentarily. For an instant, Ryo thought he was going to listen to reason, but then his eyes narrowed and glinted in an unnerving way and his lips twisted back from his teeth in a snarl. Mel raised the gun higher so it was pointing right at Ryo's face. "One more word and your head is Swiss cheese! I mean it! Shut the fuck up! I don't need nobody's fuckin' help. Nobody touched me, you hear? I ain't been abused! You got that?"

Dee felt an urgent need to get that gun pointing away from Ryo. His heart was thudding sickeningly in his chest, but his voice when he spoke did not betray his fear. "Fuck, they don't make skinheads like they used to," he sneered. "You're the most pathetic excuse for one I ever saw. Go home to the 'burbs, loser."

"Dee!"

Mel actually flinched and then, gritting his teeth, aimed his weapon to the right of Ryo.

"Maybe I should shoot your boyfriend, not you," he said to Ryo. "How'd ya like that, huh?" His eyes darted from their new target, which was Dee, and back to Ryo's face for a moment. He was pleased to see that impassive face finally looking worried. "Jump me, and I swear to God I'll shoot him," he added maliciously.

"Ryo, deck the fucking bastard. I've seen this type before. I doubt he could hit the Chrysler Building if he aimed at it from across the street."

The sirens were almost upon them and the gun barrel shook wildly as Mel became increasingly indecisive and desperate. Boydie turned and ran, and none too steadily at that.

"Hey, dickhead." Dee pulled his cigarettes out from his shirt pocket and stuck one in his mouth, for all the world as though he didn't have a gun pointed right at him. "You oughta stay home and get your tough-guy kicks from video games 'cause you ain't man enough to make it out here, you little freak."

"Dee, shut up!" called Ryo warningly.

Dee raised his lighter to his smoke but kept his eyes on Mel. "And if you pull that trigger you'll soon find you ain't man enough to make it in the joint either."

"Fucking fag PIGS!" screamed Mel and Ryo launched himself at him, throwing all his weight on the place where Mel's clasped hands met the handle of the gun. It went off, the report deafening in both of their ears. They crashed to the ground and Mel lost his grip on the gun. Ryo raised one hand and smacked it away, and as he did so, Mel's fist came up and connected with his right cheek. A second later, Mel's nose was just as bloody as Boydie's head, thanks to the heel of Ryo's hand. His first combat instructor back in the police academy had taught him that. "Try not to hurt the collar too much when you're making an arrest, boys," old Vickers had said. "But if you're in a tight hand-to-hand situation and you want to extricate yourself quickly, go for the nose. Their eyes fill with tears and they can't see, then blood drips down their throat and they become more focused on breathing than fighting."

Ryo got off Mel, satisfied that he wasn't going to be up to anything for a while, and turned his head, calling "Dee, get..." He wanted Dee to secure the gun, but his ears were ringing, or was that the sirens? That shot had been LOUD. His own voice sounded like he was calling from far away. Could Dee hear him?

The words died on his lips as his eyes registered the unbelievable sight of Dee lying motionless on the ground, a red stain blossoming wetly on the whiteness of his shirt. For a moment Ryo froze as the horror of what had just happened washed over him. At that moment two police cruisers, lights flashing, pulled into opposite ends of the parking lot of Freddie's Market. He didn't even look at them. Springing to his feet, he ran to his fallen partner, thinking _no, no, Dee, no!_ He fell to his knees beside the unmoving man, reaching for him, and suddenly there were uniforms all around him and guns pointed at him.

End of chapter 22

Sorry for the cliffhanger, people! Yes, really I am sort of sorry. But I'll be posting again in a couple of weeks, and they'll go by FAST! You'll see.

Regarding the fight scene, I just want to let you know that the techniques I described are real and I have done them myself in my Karate classes, so I know they work. (Well, not the heel of the hand to the nose, but the other ones.) There are a lot of different types of Karate, and whereas some don't permit grabbing or grappling, many do. When I chose a martial art for Ryo to be proficient in, I naturally chose the only one I know something about.

Thank you for reading and never hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments.


	23. Chapter 23

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 23_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Worksafe. There's swearing, however, and a kiss.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: Please read and review. Any references to Kyle Baker, or the Baker brothers are from the story just prior to this one, which is only partially written. A New Day is actually the second story in my series, but this was the one that insisted on being written first. Chapter 24 is already up on my LJ page. If you want the address, email me.

I'd like to thank Bluesimplicity and Mtemplar for their help and feedback. Mtemplar, your info on injuries and hospital procedure is much appreciated!

**A New Day Chapter 23**

"Get your hands up! Step away from the victim!"

Ryo raised his hands and stood, glaring wild-eyed at the patrol officer who had spoken. "I'm a detective! Let me show you my badge!"

"Shit, it's McLean from the 27th," a voice said. "He's a cop boys, leave him alone."

The guns were lowered and Ryo once more dropped down beside Dee, his fingers reaching automatically for the pulse on his partner's neck. When he felt it, coursing weakly and erratically, but definitely _there_, he could have sobbed with relief. The wound appeared to be low down on Dee's left side. Ryo hoped the bullet hadn't blown out a kidney. He tried to be calm and think rationally. God, there was lot of blood. And what if there was internal bleeding?

"Who's the vic?" someone asked.

"My partner," Ryo replied in a voice that cracked slightly. "Detective Dee Laytner. Have we got an ambulance?" he yelled suddenly, raising his head and looking around him agitatedly. A short distance away, he caught a glimpse of Mel on the ground, handcuffed and yelling about fags and how they'd ruined his life. He didn't give a shit about Mel; in fact, he suddenly wanted to _kill_ him with his bare hands, and he wanted it with a passion that contravened all his years of police and Karate training.

"Easy there, Detective," said the cop who had recognized him as being from the 27th. "Your partner's gonna be okay. The bleeding's not too bad and the wound's pretty low down. You can trust me on this one, kid." His hand was on Ryo's shoulder, and as Ryo looked up into sympathetic and concerned eyes set in a lined, middle-aged face, he felt his urge to murder Dee's shooter start to recede from him. His eyes met the older cop's with anguish in them while his mouth worked incoherently, unable to speak. The other man impulsively enfolded him in a brief, but gruff, one-armed hug. "Don't worry, son. Look, here comes the cavalry." He indicated a red and white fire truck that was even now squeezing itself into the small parking lot. "They're A-1 medics and they'll stop the bleeding and get him stabilized in a matter of minutes. And hear that?"

They both listened.

"That's the ambulance. So come on, buck up."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Officer McLean?" A short, stocky nurse with a goatee and a clipboard stood looking around the waiting room.

"Here." Ryo jumped up with alacrity, his face betraying the worry he felt.

"Your partner is awake now. He's asking for you."

"Is he okay? Can I see him?"

"Yes and yes," the nurse said with a smile. "My name is Bryce, by the way, and I'll be coordinating his care tonight."

"Can you tell me about his injuries?"

"Officer Laytner is a very lucky man," said Bryce. "The bullet only grazed along his lower left side. It didn't penetrate any internal organs, nor did it damage his intestines. It got him between ribs and hip, so no bone fractures or splinters either." He shook his head. "Incredibly lucky. But I'm afraid he's going to be sore for a while."

"Will he be able to go home tonight?"

"I'm sorry, but no. We're more concerned about the concussion he received when he struck the pavement. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation."

&&&&&&&&&

Dee turned his head when Ryo entered the room. "Partner," he said weakly, and attempted a grin.

"Dee!" Ryo hurried to his bedside and sat down, looking at him anxiously. "How do you feel?"

"Like I did a few rounds in the ring with Brooklyn Briggs. But they tell me I'll live, so you're stuck with me for a while longer."

"Officer Laytner, will you cooperate now that I've brought him?" asked Bryce solemnly, indicating a waiting IV unit.

Ryo looked questioningly back and forth between them.

"I was afraid it'd knock me out or something before you got here," Dee informed Ryo with a rebellious look at Bryce. "Been out for a while, they tell me. I'm kind of enjoying the novelty of being conscious."

"Well, I'm here now, so you can just stop being stubborn," said Ryo sternly.

That made Dee smile because Ryo was using his 'dad' voice, the one he used to scold Bikky.

"Well, you know me," said Dee. "Always ready to obey orders." He attempted a wink, but winced. "Ow. Okay, Bryce, hook me up. Am I gonna get a good buzz off whatever's in the magic bag?"

"No, not a great one, but it's pretty good, I'm told." Bryce smiled at him and moved to the little table where the IV needle and other paraphernalia was waiting. "And it certainly won't knock you out. We never sedate patients with concussions."

"Why do I have to stay overnight?" Dee complained. "I'm a little stiff and I've got the overlord of all headaches, but I'm basically okay. I wanna go home."

"Your record shows you were in here with another concussion just over a month ago," Bryce said, his hands moving confidently as he inserted the needle for the IV drip into Dee's right arm and taped it down. "That's at least two more concussions than the average person receives in a lifetime. Concussions can have serious after-effects, more so than people realize, especially when they're cumulative. We'd just like to keep an eye on you tonight. I'm fairly sure the doctor will release you after she sees you again tomorrow, as long as there's someone at home to take care of you."

He glanced at Ryo as if he had already guessed how close the two men were. Ryo nodded back, surprised to realize that he didn't really care. He was getting used to it.

Dee looked disgruntled. "Home tomorrow, eh? Yeah, yeah. I've heard THAT before. I should warn you guys that I'm not exactly a model patient. You might be itching to get rid of me by tomorrow morning. Maybe even later tonight."

"I used to work in the psych ward, Officer, so I've seen it all," Bryce told him, smiling. "Go ahead and do your worst, if you feel you need to. I'm going to leave you two alone for now, but I'm not going far. I'll be coming back to check on you at intervals. Press the call button if you need something."

"Thank you, Bryce," Ryo murmured, and turned back to Dee with a concerned frown. Dee's energy must really be low if he wasn't correcting Bryce on the "Officer" thing. Dee was usually quick to remind people that his rank was Detective. On the other hand, Ryo had no problem believing Dee's threat to misbehave if they didn't let him go home in the morning. He had a history of being a notoriously uncooperative patient. "Dee, don't hassle the nursing staff, or you know they'll recommend keeping you for extra tests, like what happened at Metropolitan last year," Ryo said, giving Dee a fierce glare. "Now, just keep still and go to sleep if you can."

"Not yet, Ryo. Talk to me. You look like you wish you could bite my head off and the only reason you're not doing that is because I'm in a hospital bed."

Ryo realized that it was true. Now that he knew for sure that Dee was going to be okay, that realization seemed to have cleared the way for anger. He was conscious of feeling furious with Dee for taking such a risk. Not only had he been the one who had started the violence, but he had also taunted a man with a gun and had gotten himself shot.

"Yeah, Dee. It's true. I'm pissed. But you ARE in a hospital bed and I'm not going to quarrel with you."

"Just say what you gotta say. You heard the man. I'm not gonna start flat-lining anytime soon. I can take it. And I'd rather we get it out in the open now."

Ryo sat in tightlipped silence, the muscles of his jaw bunching. He didn't trust himself to look at his partner.

"Okay," Dee said, "I'll start you off. You're mad because I provoked that little weasel until he shot me. And you probably think the whole damn mess was my fault anyway, even though you were the one that went out to the parking lot without even thinking about telling your partner that you wanted to have a chat with a party of psychopaths. How'm I doing?"

Ryo nodded and gave up on trying to control himself. "Yeah, you're right. I AM mad about those things. What the hell were you doing, trying to get him to shoot you like that? It was like you were suicidal or something! You just wouldn't shut up!"

Dee shrugged. "I thought he would miss. I STILL think the guy got a lucky shot. Anyway, I was sure the little bastard was working up to shooting somebody, and if it had been you, you would have died for sure 'cause of the range."

"Don't you ever do that again! It was by no means certain that he was gonna pull the trigger. You gambled your life there, and you nearly lost it. I could've talked him down."

"It was _'by no means certain'_ you could've talked him down, either! Did you hear that shit he was spouting? The little fuckwad was having an unscheduled psychological moment. And if we don't hear back that he was on something, I'll eat one of Bikky's basketball shoes."

"My God, Dee! If you knew how I felt when I saw you on the ground..."

"Better me with a flesh wound than you with a hole in your head, Ryo! How do you think _I_ felt when I saw that nut job shaking a loaded gun in your face? Yeah, I drew his fire, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And what the hell did you think you were doing when you wandered out there to take on four guys without a word to me?" Dee was getting steamed and his head was really beginning to pound, but he was damned if he was going to let Ryo see it. He fought the urge to clutch at his temples.

"Yeah, I did go out into the parking lot alone, but I knew I could handle that situation, and I knew you'd be along in a minute," Ryo retorted hotly. "We could've avoided the fighting...the injuries...the MISERY we've both been through tonight if you hadn't gone and punched that guy in the head! Why the hell didn't you just show them your badge at the outset?"

"I don't know," Dee sighed. "They didn't seem to be showing much respect for yours."

"TWO guys with badges would've made them think twice. And I don't think they would've gone for me anyway. I was in the process of convincing them I was a cop. You basically escalated that whole thing right out of control. What on earth were you thinking?"

"I was thinking they were gonna hurt you." Dee's eyes flashed just at the memory of it. "And I was mad that you had to listen to the names they were calling you."

"I'm not your girlfriend! You don't have to go all gallant on me. It's insulting AND it's going to get you injured or even killed. This is the second time you've felt like you have to punch out someone with homophobic issues in defense of my 'honor'. I mean, what am I, some kind of weak and fragile creature who needs to be protected? I'm a man like you, Dee. I'm a fucking COP. The first time you did it was bad enough, but look at us now! We're in a goddamned hospital for God's sake. You're lucky to be alive, you bastard."

Dee was silent. Then he tried to explain. "Ryo, I don't think you're weak and fragile. Far from it. I count on you every day to back me up if we find ourselves in a tight corner. You've saved my ass more times than I can even recall. But when gay-hating assholes say those things, it hurts. I see it on your face. It hurts me too, a little, even after all these years. But enough time has gone by for me that I now have a protective shell. You don't, yet. You're shocked by it, and you get all quiet and nervous, especially since you're not out. I can't stand to see you hurt. I just want to kill anyone who upsets you! I know I have a little temper problem, and I know I shouldn't respond to the insults or the challenges, and hell, if I'd been alone tonight, that fight probably never woulda happened. Anti-gay insults just kinda roll off me now. Fuckin' punks. Who gives a shit what they say? But you, you're not like me. You're not gonna sling their crap right back at them. You're just going to take it and then feel bad afterward." He paused because he realized he was twisting the sheet violently in his right hand. He immediately let it go and smoothed it down. "You're so precious to me, the best and brightest light in my life. How can I let those assholes get away with making you feel like shit?"

"By perhaps considering how much worse I would feel if you got killed or seriously injured," said Ryo. "Remember what happened to Kyle Baker? He got beaten into a coma. Now he can't even tie his own shoes. And his brother? Where's he? In the ground, that's where. Okay, I'm not saying we're not in a dangerous line of work and that we don't face serious risks all the time. But let's not go seeking them out unnecessarily!"

Dee swallowed. "I'll try. I swear to you I will do my best to keep my temper next time we run into any gay-basher types. And there will be a next time, you know that don't you?"

Ryo nodded.

Dee continued, "But I need you to answer a question for me, Ryo. Please don't sugarcoat it."

"Shoot," said Ryo, then winced at his choice of words and added, "Sorry." Dee hadn't appeared to notice, however.

"Do you...Do you regret getting into a relationship with me and taking on this lifestyle when the stares and the insults start? Do you wish you could go back to being straight again?"

Ryo was silent for a while. He sat looking down at his hands, while he thought about how he was going to answer.

Dee waited tensely, trying to steel himself to accept it if the answer was the one that he feared. He had to look away from Ryo. He forced himself to concentrate on the sounds of the hospital that could be heard in the corridors outside the room; snatches of barely audible conversation, the rattling of equipment being rolled down the halls, the distant sounds of ambulance sirens urgently pushing their way through traffic toward whichever hospital could accommodate them. There were other people out there who were facing loss this night too, people who hadn't been as lucky as he had. He had to remember that. But if Ryo said yes, if he even answered ambivalently, Dee felt that a newborn part of him that was just starting to live would be snuffed out in an instant.

Finally, Ryo spoke. "Dee, I thought you knew me. In fact, if anyone had ever asked, I would have said that you knew me better than anyone on this earth, maybe even better than my parents used to." His face and voice were somber. "When I told you I loved you, I meant it. That's not something I go around saying to everybody, you know. It wasn't something that just popped into my head a few weeks ago that's likely to pop back out again at the first sign of difficulty. I told Bikky that we were in it for the long haul. At least that's what _**I**_ thought."

"Ryo..." Dee was relieved and distressed. "I've been scared -- so scared you would change your mind. Especially after you found out the real reason for Bikky's fight. Don't tell me you haven't been letting me get close and then pushing me away for over two years now. I mean, you've changed your mind on me a lot!"

"Yes, but that was before I sorted out my feelings!" Ryo protested. "It really did take me that long. I never would have opened my mouth back there on the bridge if I hadn't been sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you!"

Dee took a deep and shaky breath and stared at Ryo. He couldn't trust himself to speak.

Ryo gazed back at Dee, seeing his fear for the first time. Dee's face was so vulnerable, like a child's, an orphan who had feared he would never be chosen, never be loved, and still couldn't quite believe that that was what he had been offered. Ryo's heart welled up with a great rush of affection, and he took his lover's hand in his.

"I know I've been flighty in the past," Ryo went on. "I still have many bad qualities. I'm easily embarrassed, I sometimes lack confidence, I care too much about what other people think, I tend to worry, and my feelings are too easily hurt. I know I don't have that same toughness that you and Bikky have. But I _am_ loyal, I _am_ resilient, and I always come through in the end. Don't I?"

"Yeah," mumbled Dee. "You've always come through for me."

"Well, let me just spell something out for you, since you seem to be having a little trouble understanding it. I'm head over heels in love with you, Dee Laytner. I would walk through fire for you. I'm committed to a future with you. I believe we belong together. I can certainly put up with a few homophobic catcalls, if that's what it takes for me to be with you."

Dee put one hand up to his eyes and took another shaky breath. And then, because he couldn't help it, the tears spilled over. To his shame, several hot ones ran down his cheeks and hand, one after another, before he got himself under control.

"Ryo..." he murmured thickly, turning his other hand over in Ryo's and squeezing it. "You mean it, baby?"

Ryo lifted that hand and kissed it. Then he leaned over and kissed Dee's temple, letting his lips linger there, breathing in the unique scent of his lover, a scent he would know anywhere.

"One hundred percent," he whispered. "Please don't take any more of these crazy risks. How can I live without you? Don't ask me to do that, please. I need you."

"I'm sorry, baby. So sorry. Oh God, hold me..."

Dee hated hospitals. He hated their cold, clinical atmosphere, the smells, the despair, not to mention the sight of sick and dying people. He was always half-expecting to pick up some kind of horrible virus or disease just from going into one. He hated feeling surrounded by death and pain, floor after floor of it. But in all the years of his life that came after the night that he got shot in the parking lot of Freddie's Market, he would always remember this particular hospital room at Bellevue with nostalgia and affection. For better or for worse, he had already given his heart to Ryo. But that was the first time he felt that his lover had truly taken possession of it and that it was in his safekeeping. Ryo was willing to endure difficulties and hardship for him. Ryo needed him, was committed to him. Not even the searing pain in his head could dim the relief and joy that he felt upon hearing those words.

When Ryo eventually drew back and looked at him, Dee was conscious that his whole body had relaxed. Maybe it was the pain-killing meds seeping into his system through the IV, or maybe it was happiness. He felt a little awkward at having let Ryo see his weakness, but it was worth it for the lightening of his spirit that had taken place.

"You're just lucky I'm flat on my back with a gunshot wound and a bitchin' headache, or you know what I'd be doing to you right now, hospital bed or no," he informed his partner, chuckling weakly.

"Yeah, right. Can I get you anything? Do you need another pillow, or maybe something to eat?" Ryo was back in nurturing mode.

Dee rubbed his hand roughly over his eyes and said, "I could use a beer, but I know that's totally out. I don't suppose they'd let me have a coke or something?"

"Probably not, but I'll ask. For now, drink this." Ryo passed him his cup of water. "How about a tissue, too?"

"What the hell for?" asked Dee challengingly.

"Oh just...it looks like you've got something in your eye, that's all." Ryo's smile was a mix of mischief and affection as he watched Dee swallow his water.

"You're mistaken, dude. It's just the crappy light in here. Now get back down here and kiss me." He tugged on Ryo's arm. "Will you stay at least until I fall asleep?"

"I'm not going anywhere," said Ryo firmly, and took Dee's face in cool, gentle hands.

&&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 23

More author's notes: Bryce refers to the fact that Dee was in with another concussion just over a month ago. That's another thing that happened in the as yet unfinished and unpublished prequel to this one.

Well, I don't know about you, but _I'M _relieved they finally talked! Ryo still has some issues to work through, and the bad guys are still out there, but at least Dee's doubts have been laid to rest.


	24. Chapter 24

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 24_

_Pairing:_ Dee/Ryo

_Fandom:_ FAKE

_Rating:_ Worksafe. But the F-word gets tossed around.

_Spoilers:_ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

_Summary:_ Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Dee, Ryo, Bikky, Carol, JJ, Drake, Ted, Marty, the Chief, the Commissioner, Diana, and any of the people who appeared in the manga books. They are the property of Sanami Matoh. However, I have created some extra characters. The Abernathy family is mine, as are Ned Shaver and Eddie Calvetti I am not making any money from this.

_Author's notes: _ Sorry, but Ryo and Dee don't put in an appearance at all in this chapter. The other characters are all busy doing things necessary to advance the plot. If it's any consolation, we _are_ slowly working our way toward a lemon, but we have to let Dee recover somewhat first. Also, I just want to remind those who might have forgotten that Eddie also goes by the name Karl. Mike and his son always call him Karl, but Dee, Ryo, Bikky and Carol call him Eddie.

Thanks to all the people who went and checked out my drawing of Dee on Deviant Art!

A big thank you (and a kiss) to **bluesimplicity** and **mtemplar** for all your invaluable help.

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

**Chapter 24**

Bikky hurried furtively toward his apartment building and glanced up at his and Ryo's windows. Good. It looked just the way he had left it. The light was on in his bedroom, but Ryo's room and the living room were still in darkness, save for the pale blue flicker of the TV. He let himself into the building and all but ran up the stairs. It wouldn't do to be seen coming in at this time by any of the neighbors in case they mentioned it to Ryo. He quietly unlocked the apartment door and, once safely inside, his first thought was to go to the phone to see if Ryo had left any messages. Shit! He had. There were two in the call display from his foster dad's cell phone number. He quickly looked at the timestamps. Whew. The first call was fifteen minutes ago and the second one only five minutes ago. He could claim he had been in the john or something. But then he was arrested by a thought: what the hell was Ryo doing calling at this time of night anyway? It was close to one AM. Ryo had told him he would be home late and not to wait up. But on the other hand it WAS Friday night, so maybe Ryo expected him to still be awake. He certainly would not have expected him to be taking his grounded ass on a train to Queens and back. But when Carol had called with the details of the completed eBay sale, it had been immediately apparent that Eddie was going to need those pots and pans ASAP. Ryo's fortuitous departure had made everything easier. Bikky had been out the door with the cookware set as soon as he'd seen Dorkhead drive off like a maniac with a rocket strapped to his ass. He sure hoped he hadn't been spotted. He could just imagine some cop friend of Ryo's giving him a call to say, "Hey I think I just saw your son out wandering the streets past midnight..." Maybe he was being paranoid. The phone messages would in all likelihood reveal whether Ryo knew he had been out or not.

But when he listened to the first message, he almost fell out of his chair.

"Bikky, it's me. Dee and I ran into a bit of trouble tonight and I'm at the hospital with him now. They want to keep him overnight, so I'm going to try and stay here with him, unless they decide they're gonna kick me out. You can't phone me back because I'm supposed to keep my cell phone off in patient care areas, but I'll try again in a little while. Dee's gonna be okay, by the way. It was a real close call but his famous luck kicked in once again. Talk to you soon."

What the fuck? Dee was in hospital and they were keeping him overnight? What the hell happened? Bikky checked the second message.

"It's me again, B. I'm really sorry if these two calls have woken you up. I just want to let you know that they've found me a cot so I'm definitely going to be away all night. I need to go to sleep now, so you won't be able to call me back. I'll give you a shout in the morning. Love you."

Bikky was glad he was sitting down. Most of the time he was able to put the more dangerous aspects of Ryo's work out of his head. It wasn't hard to do since Ryo and Dee didn't discuss harsh case details in his presence and always seemed to be complaining about more mundane things like paperwork and meetings and not being able to scrape up enough clues to solve their cases. But once in a while there was something like that crazy teacher who had shot Dee and blown up the school or that serial killer who had grabbed Carol. At each of those times, it had been like a wake up call, a dark reminder that, since his childhood, death had always been a silent stalker on the edges of his life and would never be far away. He had lost so many people he cared about, and so had a lot of the individuals around him. Ryo and Dee were both orphans, as was Carol. His friend Jim had had an elder sister who had been killed by a hit and run driver when he was still a little kid in kindergarten. There was a girl in his class whose mother was dying of cancer, and she was quiet and sad all the time. Apart from his friend Dave, just about everyone he knew had lost someone. Bikky hoped Dave's turn was not coming. He wondered what it must be like to grow up with all your family around you, and no dangerous events or scary people reaching out to steal your happiness and security when you least expected it.

The living room seemed dark and full of strange shadows all of a sudden, and the chatter of the television offered no comfort. He had no way to get in touch with Ryo, who hadn't even said which hospital they were at. He suddenly felt very alone, and his thoughts took a macabre turn. Was this what it would be like if they were all dead, Ryo, Dee and Carol? A dark, lonely apartment with only the TV to remind him that he was still a part of humanity? And Death watching him from a dark corner, whispering, _You're next..._ He was shaking a little and he suddenly realized that he was freaking himself out with these thoughts_. You're not a little kid anymore! _ he told himself furiously. _Don't be stupid. Get it together. _

His mind went back to Carol. Maybe she wouldn't mind if he called her, on her cell phone of course. He sure needed someone to talk to.

Carol came awake slowly to the realization that her pillow was vibrating. She found she was holding onto it tightly with both hands because in her mentally fuzzy state, she imagined it had a motor on it and was trying to take off and fly around the room. When she was awake enough to understand that it was only her cell phone, which had found its way between the two pillows on her bed, she picked it up and peered at the call display. It was Bikky! What time was it -- one a.m.? Quickly, she answered.

"Bikky?" Her voice was soft so as not to wake up her aunt, who was sleeping downstairs with her boyfriend Wayne.

"Yeah it's me. Sorry to call so late." His voice sounded unusually subdued.

"You know you can call me anytime, Bikky-bear, except during class of course. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Well, basically." Bikky felt better already from the concern in her voice and the endearment, which thank God, she never used whenever anyone else was around. Ever since that incident with the bear at camp a couple of years ago, her pet name for him had been Bikky-bear. He thought it was silly, but he couldn't help kind of liking it.

"You sure? Because you don't usually call me at this time of night."

"Well, I got a couple of messages from Ryo. Something happened to Dee and they're at the hospital."

"What?" Carol sat bolt upright in bed. "Are they okay? What happened?"

"I don't know. Ryo said Dee had been lucky and that he had to stay overnight. Ryo is staying too, but he's not a patient and Dee is. I don't know more than that."

"Well, didn't you talk to him?"

"No, I couldn't because he called when I was out meeting Eddie. And in his first message, he said he had to turn his cell off because of hospital rules or something, so I can't call him back. I wish I could talk to him."

"How did he sound?"

"Normal. Tired. I don't know. I don't even know which hospital."

"Oh Bikky, I'm so sorry. I guess we'll have to wait until morning. But they're probably okay. I mean, at least it was Ryo who called you and not a nurse or a cop."

"Yeah, that's true. I probably shouldn't worry, but..."

"I know," she said soothingly. "We can't help it, can we? But I bet you everything's gonna be okay. I know it will! And I'll be over first thing to keep you company until Ryo gets home. I'll make us something good for breakfast, 'kay?"

"Thanks. That'll give me something to look forward to. It's kinda lonely around here tonight."

"Hey, how's Eddie? Did you give him my message about the sale?"

"Yeah, I did. Bam's restaurant in Queens Village, nine-thirty a.m. Two hundred fifty cash, right?"

"Yeah. That's what she said in her email. I guess she wants to use those pots and pans in her restaurant. I hope it all goes as planned and Eddie doesn't make a bad impression or anything. Sometimes he doesn't smell so good, you know?"

"Yeah I know. He's better whenever he's staying in a place that has a shower. He could really use that money right now. It sure was lucky we didn't have to mail the pots anywhere."

"Well, I'm just glad we could help Eddie out." Carol yawned. "Listen, Bikky-bear, I've got to say good night if I'm going to come over and cook in the morning. You just go to bed and don't worry about anything, all right? Don't stay up late watching TV or anything."

"I'll try. I won't do any gaming either. I'm tired from traveling over to Queens and back anyway. It's a good thing Eddie met me at the station. See you in the morning, okay?"

"You bet."

"Don't come late, okay?"

"Silly! You're the one who's always late for everything, not me. I'll be there about nine or so. Night!"

"Night." Bikky hung up feeling relieved. She was right. Everything was going to be fine. Dee probably had just banged himself up a little and was being a big baby and that was why Ryo had to stay with him. Eddie was going to score some cash tomorrow, and he felt good about having been able to help his friend. Best of all, Carol was coming to see him in the morning and she was going to cook for him. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea.

&&&&&&&&&

Eddie was grateful to his aunt Rosa for letting him take a shower, and although she wouldn't let him use her washing machine to wash his clothes, she had been kind enough to furnish him with some new ones. The jeans were a little big for him, but he didn't really mind. She had let him have his uncle's old belt to hold them up, and that had pleased him more than anything. Things were definitely looking up. He'd been able to reclaim his newly charged spare cell phone and laptop just before the other cell phone's battery died, so they'd be full of juice for the next couple of days. It was good to be able to get back online again. The bulk of his stuff was safely locked up in the crawl space of the community hall attached to Rosa's church, and if his luck held, he would be on his way to Newark later today. But first he had to meet that woman at that restaurant...what was it called? Eddie pulled out his new spiral bound notebook. Bam's. Yeah, that was the place. Kitchen entrance, round the back. And what was that lady's name? Cindy. Well, if Cindy came through with the money, he'd have enough to buy a bus ticket with some extra left over for expenses. It would be good to disappear for a while. Recent events had been a little too stressful, even for him, and Mike was starting to freak him out, what with all those urgent phone messages he had been leaving. Bikky's dad seemed to be quite sure that Mike was after him, and the only thing Eddie could think of was to get out of town and try to clear his head. The last few days he'd been feeling nervous all the time, like someone was watching him or something. After living on the streets for several years, he knew better than to ignore that feeling. Too many people with more power than he had were interested in him right now, and he wanted to give them a chance to forget about him and get busy with other things. Two or three months out of the city should do it. Mario had put in a call for him to some friends of his in New Jersey who could apparently help him to get set up in some work when he got there. Now if he could just get this little piece of business done and get out of town without running into any more cops, he'd feel like he could maybe breathe again.

He stopped at a mailbox and dropped a package into it. He hoped there was enough postage on it, because he hadn't felt like standing in line at the post office to get it weighed, particularly since he had just ripped off several books of stamps. He had to make sure that his stuff was taken care of if...Well, he didn't expect anything to happen to him of course, but Eddie was a man who liked to be prepared.

When he arrived at the address Bikky had given him, he was in no way alarmed to find it closed. It wasn't a breakfast place, after all. Word was that Cindy would be in the kitchen doing prep for lunchtime. He proceeded down the alley next to the cafe, as he had been directed, wondering how he would know which door belonged to Bam's kitchen. Hopefully there would be a sign for delivery people or something else that would make it clear. He fidgeted with the large box of cookware that Robbie had helped him wrap with plain brown paper earlier that morning. It wasn't too heavy, but it was large and awkward and he would be glad to offload it onto this Cindy chick. He hoped she had a car and wouldn't have to carry this sucker home on the subway. Presently he came to a door that was propped open and had a sign taped to it that read,

_**Bam's Kitchen **_

_**Come right in, Eddie. **_

_**--Cindy**_

Before Eddie went in, he propped the box against the door for a minute and pulled down the sign. She had probably only been trying to be helpful, but it made him nervous having his name on a sign that anyone could come by and read.

"Hello?" called Eddie, turning sideways to get through the door with his box. "Cindy, you there? It's me, Eddie."

He went through a short corridor lined with shelves containing restaurant supplies, and emerged into a kitchen. A pair of hands lifted the box out of his arms, moving it aside, and suddenly he found himself looking at a familiar face.

"Mike!"

"Why, Karl lad, what a surprise, to be sure."

Mike seemed as friendly and relaxed as he usually did, so Eddie didn't know why he suddenly felt cold all over.

"Mike, do you know Cindy or something? What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, boy."

"But Cindy--"

"There is no Cindy, Karl. Now, don't be a slow-top."

Eddie just blinked at him stupidly, but behind the confused expression, adrenaline was pushing his brain to work faster than usual. No Cindy meant no $250, but the fact that Mike was here at all meant this was a set-up. That couldn't possibly be good because there was no such thing as a good set-up. They were all alone in here. Had Mike really killed Tamara? Eddie felt the freedom of the open door still at his back and considered that he was in fact between Mike and the door. Although he didn't move a muscle, Mike must have read his intention because suddenly his smile underwent a subtle alteration, no longer friendly, no longer open. At that moment, the quality of the light changed as the door swung shut behind Eddie. He heard the click. Uh-oh, this was very bad. In all the years he had known Mike, he had never brought an accomplice to their meetings. Just Tommy from time to time when the drop was a simple one and there were no special directions that couldn't be referred to in code. Eddie was pretty damn sure that it wasn't Tommy who had just closed the door behind him.

"Wh-what's up Mike? Listen, I'm sorry I didn't return your calls. I didn't have electricity for a while there and I couldn't charge my phone..."

"That's a pretty full backpack you've got there. Planning a little trip, are we?"

"Nah, Mike, you know me. I can't travel light and I ain't got a place to stash my stuff right now. I was gonna use Cindy's money to get a place to stay."

"I'll come right to the point, lad. I want your laptop and your MP3 player and you'd better not have sold them."

"I got 'em right here," said Eddie, patting his pack anxiously. Maybe if he gave Mike what he wanted, the man would let him go.

"Fetch them out then. Hurry up, I don't have all day." Mike's tone was brisk and cold. He glanced at his watch and nodded toward Eddie's pack.

Eddie hastened to swing it off his shoulders and start unpacking it. The laptop was midway down the pack wrapped up in his pup tent for safety, whereas the MP3 player was in a side pocket.

"My boy Tommy mentioned something about some files you like to keep of other peoples' voices," Mike said darkly. "Can you show me an example of what he was talking about?"

_Aw fuck,_ thought Eddie. _Bikky's dad was right._ But aloud, he said, "Sure, no prob. But I don't have many left, you know. I don't keep 'em forever."

Mike waited silently while Eddie unwrapped the laptop with trembling fingers and looked around for a suitable surface to put it on . Mike indicated one of the stainless steel counters, and moved aside while Eddie set up.

"I don't think I have any of you," Eddie added, sincerely hoping that was true and that he hadn't missed any. Detective McLean's warning had been weighing uneasily at the back of his mind since Thursday night, and one of the first things he had done once he got safe access to some electricity was to transfer all of his business files to the older of his two laptops. That one was safely locked up with the rest of his stuff back at the church.

"You just show me what you've got and don't pull any funny stuff," growled Mike.

Eddie played Mike a sound file of last night's message from Bikky, wherein Bikky let him know the good news about the potential buyer from Queens and the fact that she was willing to pay cash for a personal delivery. Then he played him another one of Thomas's voice asking him if he wanted to sell his MP3 player. There were only about 9 or so sound files on this computer. Eddie racked his brains trying to remember what the other messages were about, since Mike seemed to want to hear them all. He hoped there would be nothing there that would get him into any more trouble than he was already in. His heart leapt into his mouth when he clicked on the third sound file and they heard Bikky's dad leaving a message.

"Eddie," Ryo's voice said, "This is Detective Randy McLean. I'm just calling to thank you for talking to me last night and also to find out whether you've reconsidered your refusal of our offer of police protection. I hope to hear from you, if so." He went on to leave several phone numbers, which Eddie could contact him at if he wanted to.

"And what's all this about, Karl?"

Eddie didn't like the way the other man was looking at him. There was something downright scary happening behind his eyes. He wished that Mike would stop smiling. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this terrified.

"It's not what you think, Mike! His kid is a friend of mine. The kid tracked me down and put me on the phone with his dad. That cop told me a bullshit story about how maybe someone was trying to kill me. But I didn't believe him and I didn't meet up with him. You know how I feel about cops, present company excepted."

After giving him a long assessing look through narrowed eyes, the Lieutenant suddenly fired a series of questions at him. "Are these the sum total of your files? Do you have them backed up anywhere? Do you have another computer? Did you email them to anyone?"

"No way, Mike what the hell are you saying? We go back years, you've always been good to me. I only do this because of my fucked up memory! Come on, you gotta believe me." Eddie was shaking.

Mike suddenly seemed to relax, and spoke in a reassuring voice. "Of course, my lad, I know you didn't do this on purpose. We've always had a good relationship, right? But I'm warning you, this taping of people's calls and so on has got to stop, at least concerning your dealings with me. Do you understand? This was not the smartest thing you've ever done boy, but hell we're all young and stupid once."

"You got it Mike, I won't do it again. I promise you."

"And don't be talking to those two cops either! 'Police protection', my ass. They'll lock you up so fast you'll never know what hit you. And I won't be able to get you out again so close to the last time. You just keep your head down, okay?"

"Okay Mike." Eddie began to feel that maybe he wasn't about to die after all.

"You need any money, boy? How about that two hundred fifty you came here for? That's all I got on me." Three crisp bills materialized in the air between them.

"Yeah, thanks," said Eddie, reaching for it. "I could use it. I'll pay you back, man. Just put it on my tab, okay?"

Lieutenant Abernathy said, "All right, I'll be on my way, then. But before I go, there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

He stepped to the doorway and called softly into the shadows beyond. "You're up, lad."

Abernathy stepped aside as a young, thickset black man with an aggrieved expression walked through the door.

"Rick!" gasped Eddie.

"You killed my woman, man."

"ME? No way! It was an accident. Why would I kill Tamara? We grew up together." Just then Eddie noticed that Rick was holding a gun, and he froze, the relief and hope that he had been feeling a moment ago evaporating. He understood that Rick was here to kill him, and although life was most often a sad scramble, he realized how very much he wanted to keep on living.

&&&&&&&&&

Detective Shaver tramped down the narrow little alley in Queens, thinking of better ways he could've spent his Saturday morning. The day was shaping up to be breezy, but nothing could take away the stench of piss and garbage that clung to this place. For a moment, he allowed his mind to range longingly in search of the sea, the sharp salt air and the clean, invigorating smell of marine life and battleship fuel. Back when he'd been a member of the US Navy, he'd been too stupid to appreciate what he had. Now it was a rare day when he thought of anything else. He paused on the threshold of what he presumed to be the restaurant kitchen Mike had summoned him to, his hand resting on his holstered gun. He couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt edgy for no discernible reason. He pushed open the slightly ajar door with a careful hand and advanced, calling for Mike in a soft voice. Three steps in and he found himself in a narrow cafe kitchen that contained two extra people he had not expected to see. His hard eyes took in the scene with instant understanding. A young African American guy with a pattern shaved into his close-cropped hair was looking down at the crumpled form of that junkie Mike had sent him to meet the other day. He couldn't see the gun from this angle, but he was absolutely certain that the man was holding one, and furthermore, that it was fitted with a silencer, as he would've heard the shot for sure, otherwise. A pool of blood was slowly spreading out from underneath the vic's body, and Mike was standing a few paces away looking like the evil sonofabitch that he was.

"Who the fuck are you?" snarled the man with the gun, whirling around and pointing it at Ned. Ned's gun was suddenly in his hand, his heart pounding in his chest. He was not afraid to die, but he'd be damned if he was going to let some two-bit punk end his life in a kitchen off a back-alley over absolutely nothing.

"Ricky-boy, he's a friend," said Mike in a soothing tone. "Steady there, lad."

The man he had addressed as 'Ricky' slowly lowered his gun. "Outta my way, asshole," he said. "I want out of here." He seemed shaken.

"Give the man back his gun before you go, Rick," said Mike, causing the other two men to stare hard at him.

When Rick hesitated, Mike said, "Go on now," in a soft voice.

"Fuck that!" Rick dropped the gun on top of Eddie's still form and said, "Bastard can pick it up himself." Then he turned and disappeared through the door that Ned had come in by.

"What the hell did you do, Mike?" asked Ned in a quiet voice, his eyes on the gun. Yep, that was his piece all right. The one he hadn't reported stolen.

"One of those Dyre Devil fellows delivered this to me. He thought I might be interested for some reason. He and his group are none too happy about your dealings with the Stone Blood Boys. It seems they've lost market share since you've been on board with that lot."

Ned's eyes continued to stare at Mike with revulsion. "Why?" he spat, indicating Eddie. "One of your 'best sellers', huh?"

"He was, and that's a fact," said Mike with a sigh, viewing with dispassion the huddled face-down corpse between them. "But he got a little too...independent. In a technical kind of way, I'll have you know." The Internal Affairs Lieutenant sounded thoughtful and vaguely surprised. "But perhaps he did me a favor in the long run, what say? In any case, we'll have no more talk from you of going back to sea now, will we?" he added briskly.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lieutenant Mike Abernathy sat in his car with Karl's laptop on his knee, thinking hard. Who knew what other damning evidence this piece of metal might hold? Mike freely admitted to himself that he was not a man who knew his way around computers. The temptation to smash it was strong and yet its dollar value should not be forgotten. It could probably be sold for a couple of hundred dollars. Another of his crippling loan payments was coming due in a few days, and he needed every penny he could get his hands on. He couldn't sell the MP3 player, as he had promised it to Tommy, but perhaps he could fob the boy off with promises of a newer model if he could wait a few months. The cookware set would have to go to Isadora. It was just the sort of fashionable thing she liked to own, not that the woman spent much time in the kitchen. He hoped that it would meet with her approval. In the past year it had been almost impossible to please her, and he had to admit it had been partially his own fault. He shook his head bitterly. If only he had never listened to that smooth bastard, Liam Hennessy. A 'sure investment' indeed! Hennessy's finances had survived it, but Mike had lost his shirt and then some. And now, with his wedding anniversary approaching on Tuesday, he had nothing to give his increasingly distant wife except this slightly battered box of cooking pots that he knew she would probably never use.

He sighed and flipped open his phone, looking through his list of contacts for someone who would be able to sell the laptop. Perhaps Benny Lam? No. That one had a tendency to skim and then lie about it. How about Andre, the crazy Polack? But he would be just as likely to leave it sitting in the rain on a park bench as he would be to sell it. It was really too bad about Karl. He had been the best of the lot. But he was the one who could have brought the whole enterprise crashing down. When Mike considered that all along, his best seller had been making secret recordings of telephone conversations, not to mention that pretty damning cell phone video of him administering some much-needed discipline to Tommy, and all without his knowledge, he felt quite sick. If not for a chance word let slip by Tommy, he might never have found out. Disaster had been narrowly averted there.

Or had it? He looked at the laptop again. Back when Karl had been so obligingly demonstrating the sound files for him, hadn't he heard a boy's voice talking briefly about a sale first thing in the morning in Queens? At that time, he had missed the significance because he had been too distracted by the message left by Detective McLean. Come to think of it, when he had, in his guise as Cindy, engaged in email contact with Karl, he had noticed that Karl's grammar and spelling seemed much better than usual. Could it be that that young fool had involved one of his friends in this sale? His body went hot with sudden anxiety and the skin of his neck flushed red under his collar. If there were another person out there with the passwords to Karl's email address and eBay site, it could prove to be very damaging indeed. Wouldn't it be a fine thing if that idiot junkie (God rest his soul) were able to reach out from beyond the grave to avenge his own death? He felt a familiar burning pain start to spread through his chest. Ah, the Good Lord was signaling His displeasure again, he thought with a sour little smile as he fumbled for some antacid tablets. There was always a punishment; it was the way of things. But he wasn't wholly damned, not yet. Someday, when he got back on his feet, he would pay a huge tithe to the church, let the devil see if he didn't! For each death he had engineered in the course of his business dealings here, he would save ten lives in the third world. When Judgment Day finally came around, he had an idea that the Almighty would take a fair look at the balance sheet. After all, his intentions had been good, always good.

But in the meantime, there was work to be done. He would have to listen to that message again and find out that boy's name.

end of chapter 24


	25. Chapter 25

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 25_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Worksafe. Two men do some swearing and kissing, but nobody gets naked.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Well, Detective Shaver and his family are mine, and so is Bryce the nurse. But all the original manga characters are the property of Sanami Matoh. I am not making any money from this.

Author's notes: Thank you for waiting almost a month for this chapter! (Been so busy at work) Please read and review.

Thank you to Bluesimplicity and Mtemplar

_**A New Day **_

_chapter 25_

Detective Shaver sat in the park with his son, Kevin, drinking root beer and watching the kids and the dogs play. A half-eaten hot dog lay on the picnic table in front of him.

"What's the matter, Dad? You seem kind of down today. Why don't you eat your hot dog?"

"Well, I'm thinking I could maybe stand to lose a couple of pounds. Your mom certainly thinks so." Detective Shaver tried to introduce a lighthearted note into his voice, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. It had been a hell of a morning. He had all but witnessed a murder, and had then been made into an unwilling accomplice after the fact when Mike ordered him to help with the body. In his mind he could still see the Internal Affairs lieutenant, down on one knee, wiping up the blood with a kitchen rag. Fortunately there hadn't been too much. With some types of gunshot wounds there was a self-cauterizing phenomenon that limited bleeding, and this had been one of them.

He picked up his hot dog as if to take a bite, but then put it down. There was ketchup gleaming on the surface of the meat. It was too...no.

"Maybe you're right." Kevin gazed thoughtfully at his own hot dog, which was almost gone anyway. "Mom thinks I should lose a couple of pounds, too."

"She does?" Ned took a fresh look at his son and wondered if his estranged wife had a point. The kid had inherited his sturdy build, but unlike his father, was growing up in a time of plenty with access to every kind of junk food imaginable. Ned had observed that although Kevin was only eleven years old, he tended to eat nervously whenever he was feeling fretful or tense. Thanks to the ongoing hostility between his parents, he had a lot to be anxious about. Perhaps he and Sheila could both try to cooperate on teaching their son about healthier eating habits.

"Yeah. But I don't always listen to her, you know." The boy raised large, searching brown eyes to his father's face for a moment. "Sometimes she says things when she's stressed...but she doesn't mean them, really. And later she feels a little bit bad about it."

"Oh, I think she means them all right. Your mom is a woman who knows her own mind."

"Well, what I'm saying, Dad, is that even though she sometimes acts like a b-- like a 'female dog', she's not really mean inside. Not in her heart."

Ned sighed. "So you overheard us, then."

"Well, yeah. It was kind of hard to miss. Plus, she was in a bad mood before you even arrived."

"I guess I deserved some of what she said. But not all of it. I was really sorry to be late today Kev, but I got a call to report to a crime scene this morning. I'm a cop -- I can't just decline to show up because it's my day off."

"I know. And I'm sure Mom gets that too, even if she doesn't always act like it. I--I just wanted you to understand that when she says bad things about you, I tell her if she can't say anything nice, she shouldn't say anything at all."

"What things?"

"Dad, I don't wanna say the details. We both know she...sometimes thinks you're a loser and that you picked the wrong job. She only said those nasty things today because I told her I wanted to become a cop and she's mad about that."

"You want to become a cop?" Ned turned his whole attention to his son, and for a few joyous moments, pride lit his heart. If Kevin became a cop, he would be the fourth generation of NYPD in the Shaver family. Ned briefly wished his old man could have been here for this moment. But then if he was going to be making wishes, he might as well wish his father hadn't died when he, himself, was still only a kid. Maybe everything would've turned out different. But who was to say whether death had been harder than the heavy load his old man had had to shoulder in life? He couldn't have had an easy time of it, supporting six kids and a wife on a beat cop's salary.

"Yeah. I wanna be like you, Dad. You're my hero, you know." Feeling slightly shy all of a sudden, Kevin felt he had to avert his eyes from the intense expression on his father's face.

Detective Shaver also looked away, fixing his gaze on the green leaves of a tree in the middle distance. His son was proud of him, wanted to be like him. Christ, if he only knew...

&&&&&&&&

"No. Uh-uh. Not a fucking chance." Dee eyed the wheelchair that Ryo had brought in as if it were an electric chair instead, and he was being asked to participate willingly in his own execution.

Bryce and Ryo exchanged a glance that spoke volumes.

"Now Dee, you know you always lose this particular battle..."

"I do not. I only let them wheel me out in a wheelchair at New York East because that she-gorilla Nurse Emiry caught me with my guard down. If you recall, I walked out of Metropolitan on my own two feet."

"Officer Laytner, I'm afraid it's a regulation that you have to---"

"That's 'Detective' there, Bryce. And I don't give a shit about regulations, ANY regulations. Ask my partner if you don't believe me."

"Oh, I believe you, all right," said Bryce. "But I can't believe you're not motivated even for a... cigarette?"

Dee's eyes widened momentarily and then narrowed as his hand went automatically to the place on his chest where a shirt pocket might have been-- if he had been wearing a shirt. Instead, he was wearing a T-shirt from the hospital gift shop. It had a fucking kitten on it. His own shirt had not only been soaked with blood, but had been cut off him when he had arrived in Emergency last night. They hadn't cut his jeans, thank God. They were Seven's, Nolita boot cut. NOT cheap.

"Which one of you bastards has my cigarettes?" he demanded, glowering aggressively at Ryo and Bryce.

"I do," said Ryo calmly. He gave Dee a measuring look, which only served to further kindle the glint of challenge in the other man's eyes. "And you're not getting them until we're outside the hospital."

"Ryo," growled Dee dangerously. "Cut the crap and give me my fucking cigarettes right now, or so help me..."

Bryce looked nervously between the two NYPD Detectives, one hot and angry, the other cool and calm, but both equally stubborn. He hoped a fight wasn't going to break out. He certainly didn't want to have to call security, not for this pair who had been so loving, so concerned for each other last night. After they had got done yelling at each other of course. But maybe this was just the way they related.

"I'm not giving them to you because I wouldn't put it past you to light up right here. Now get your ass in this goddamned chair and stop being such a baby. I didn't sleep any better than you did; we both need a shower and a shave, and your childish tantrums are only dragging things out."

"I'm NOT leaving this goddamned hospital in a fucking wheelchair!" Dee roared, kicking the chair, and then wincing as a sharp pain flared up in his side.

Alarmed, Bryce sidestepped the chair, clutching his clipboard to himself protectively.

Ryo threw up his hands. "Fine," he said to Dee. "I'm going home. Call me when you're ready to act your age."

All the fight abruptly went out of Dee. He took a shaky step backward and sat down on the bed holding his bandaged wound. Bryce hurried forward to check it.

"Oh dear," he murmured. "I hope you haven't torn your stitches..."

"Ryo," Dee called from the bed, and Ryo paused at the door. "Don't go."

Their eyes met; Dee's unhappy, Ryo's impatient at first, then softening at the sight of his partner's woebegone but still obstinate face. _He really is like a child sometimes,_ Ryo thought. _What am I going to do with him?_

He came back over to the bed and asked, "Are you going to behave yourself and sit in the wheelchair?"

Dee hesitated and a bit of the rebellion flared back up. "No," he said stubbornly, but his eyes seemed to plead with Ryo to understand.

Bryce straightened and informed Dee that his stitches were okay, but he mustn't do anything physical for a while because he had put a strain on the wound. "We'll leave the dressing intact," he said, "but I think we might need another bandage. I'll be right back."

Ryo folded his arms and stood over Dee. "You know I can _make_ you sit in that wheelchair."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try, because I'm telling you right now that not even God Himself could make me sit in that goddamned contraption." Dee muttered, casting a look of disgust at it.

After a quick look over his shoulder, Ryo suddenly took Dee by the shoulders and leaned down to kiss his neck. He noted with satisfaction that a jolt of surprise and pleasure suddenly went through his lover's body. Feeling bold, he kissed Dee's neck a second time, and then his ear. He drew back, gazing into brilliant green eyes that revealed a mix of desire and suspicion.

"What are you up to? Don't think you can get me into that chair with a couple of kisses. I'm not in the mood."

Ryo grinned at him. "Dee, I do believe you're lying."

Dee stared back at him, and all he could think was, _Ryo kissed me! Almost in public!_ But he knew it would be fatal to let his elation show. He wanted to be kissed again. Ryo's face was close to his, and instinctively his eyes went to the other man's mouth. There was fine red-gold stubble coming up all over Ryo's chin and jaw and his hair was mussed. Having woken up beside him more times than he could count, Dee was no stranger to the sight of Ryo first thing in the morning before coffee, comb and razor. As usual, he marveled at how gorgeous Ryo always looked, under any circumstances, adverse and otherwise. His partner took one more furtive look around, and then sat on the bed very close to him. He pushed Dee's hair out of the way and then bit him gently on the back of his neck. His teeth and the tickly roughness of his whiskers sent goose bumps racing in all directions over Dee's skin. The younger man wanted to give way to shudders of pleasure, to let go and moan his lover's name into the sterile hospital air. However, he didn't dare in case Ryo deemed that he had done enough, and therefore stopped everything and ordered him into the chair. Instead, Dee kept still and silent and waited to see what happened next. Now, the tip of Ryo's pointed tongue was sliding along his neck to his ear. He did shiver a little, in spite of himself, when his lover's teeth sank gently into his earlobe and tugged at it. When his partner started whispering in his ear, at first he couldn't pick up what Ryo was saying. He made out his own name, and he heard the word 'love', but it was the next part that caused his body temperature to suddenly go up a few degrees.

"What was that? WHAT did you say? Could you repeat that one more time?"

"You heard me." Ryo was a little pink, and suddenly adorably shy.

Dee stared at him, a slow grin creeping over his face. "...If I sit in the chair...?" he confirmed.

Ryo nodded.

Bryce came back into the room to find a newly docile Dee sitting in the wheelchair looking absurdly pleased about something, while his partner made ready to wheel him out. He couldn't imagine what Officer McLean had said to get that recalcitrant man to stop being so difficult, but he was glad to see that regulations were going to be followed at last.

"What do you want to do about this bandage?" he asked. "Do you still want me to put it on you?"

"Give it to him," Dee jerked his head at Ryo. "He's the guy in charge now. He's gonna take care of me reeeeeaal good." He grinned wickedly at the little embarrassed sound of protest that Ryo made. He didn't have to look at his partner to know that his face was flushed and that invisible but sharp kitchen implements were probably shooting out of his eyes. "Bryce, you've been great." He extended his hand to the nurse. "I'm sorry for being such an asshole. This is actually the best hospital stay I can ever remember having." He leaned back, grinning happily.

"The pleasure was all ours, " Bryce replied with a wry smile. He was in his third hour of overtime and feeling dead on his feet, but he was glad to have been able to help these two very attractive and obviously gay cops with their rather entertaining little crisis. "Come back anytime. Oh, by the way, somebody left a letter for you at the nursing desk, the one on this floor. Make sure you pick it up on your way out."

"It's probably fan mail," Dee assured him, grinning as Ryo wheeled him through the door with a nod of thanks to the nurse.

At the nursing desk, a muscular orderly introduced himself as Hammond and told them he was to take over the pushing of Dee's wheelchair. Dee tried to refuse his help, but the young man apologetically told him it was part of the regulations. Ryo forestalled a return of hostilities between Dee and the staff by remarking that it would be better if Hammond pushed the chair because "...then I can walk beside you and we can see each other." Since this last was accompanied by a gentle squeeze of his shoulder that felt almost like a caress, Dee was mollified. But he couldn't resist making a crack.

"How about you walk in front of me so I've got a view to fantasize about?"

Ryo turned indignant eyes on him. "Dee, when we get back to my place, will you by any chance be wanting a shower or bath?"

Dee looked wary. "Uh, yeah. Gonna help me, right?"

"Right. But all I want to say is that whether your shower is toasty-warm or icy-cold seriously depends on how much you manage to piss me off between here and the door."

"You're such a bully!" Dee complained mournfully.

&&&&&&&&

"Oh my God, Dee, are you okay?" Tears sparkled on Carol's lashes at the sight of Dee's stiff movements and pale face.

"Why thank you for worrying, Princess. Come here and give me a hug, but not on my left side or I'll have to scream. The doctors say I'm basically okay but I'll never dance the hula again."

Carol giggled and hugged him, while Bikky protested. "Hey, no hugging! And that was NOT funny. Carol, why are you even laughing? Okay, sometimes the moron cracks a good one, but mostly he's just lame."

"Well, if that's so, I've got bad news for you, Biks," Dee said solemnly. "I'm afraid that bastard shot out my sense of humor. It's pretty well gone. They couldn't operate."

Bikky just stared at him for a moment and then yelled, "Ryo! Tell me the pervert ain't gonna be living on our couch and torturing me with his dorky sense of humor for the next two weeks!"

"Don't believe him," Carol whispered to Dee. "He was so worried about you."

"Yeah, but if he ever admitted it, he'd have to perform hara-kiri," Dee whispered back, smirking at Bikky's glowering face.

"Fine, if you guys are gonna be all cosy like that, I'm going to my room to listen to music."

"Oh, I've got some songs you should hear," Carol said, detaching herself from Dee. "But I can't stay too much longer. Liz wants me to meet her at one o'clock."

Just then they were interrupted by the sound of Ryo's voice. He had gone into the kitchen to see about lunch.

"Bikky! Is that pancake batter I see on the light fixture?"

Carol elbowed Bikky. "I TOLD you he'd notice!" she hissed.

"Uh...yeah, I guess it is. But it was an accident, Ryo..."

"Shit, who would have thought he'd look way up there?" Dee remarked sarcastically in a fair imitation of Bikky's voice, eyeing the kid's discomfiture with ill-concealed delight.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Bikky sat on the sofa flipping channels and ignoring Dee's requests while Ryo mashed potatoes in the kitchen. "No way, moron. If you wanna watch your stupid shows, go home and do it on your own TV. You're getting way too comfortable here. Don't think I haven't figured out that you probably only got yourself shot so you'd be able to hang out here sucking sympathy and food out of Ryo for as long as you can manage to drag this out."

"Don't be ridiculous, you brain-dead twerp. Now, shut up and go to WABC. All I want is the six o'clock news. Don't make me smack you."

"Get real. And you can forget watching the news. It's boring and depressing. Besides, it'll be on again later. It wouldn't kill ya to wait."

"You give me that remote right now, or I'll come over there and take it."

"Hah! You're no match for me, ya invalid loser. As long as I'm friggin' grounded and stuck in this apartment, I own the remote." Bikky switched the remote into the hand that was furthest away from Dee.

Dee dropped his voice. "If you don't give me that remote in ten fucking seconds, I'm gonna attack you for it. When my stitches start bleeding, who do you think is gonna get blamed?"

Bikky looked disgusted. "You would, too," he said resentfully. "Okay, I'll go to your stupid channel, but only for fifteen minutes and _**I **_keep the remote."

"Everything all right in there?" Ryo called.

"Just peachy," Dee called back.

"I'm letting Perv-man watch the NEWS," Bikky called back.

"That's very nice of you, Bikky." Ryo stuck his head out of the kitchen and smiled at his son. Bikky shot Dee a smirk.

"Supper's almost ready," Ryo added. "I want both of you at the table in two minutes. B, maybe you should go wash your hands."

But Bikky wasn't listening. He was staring at the TV with his mouth hanging open.

Dee started to make a sarcastic comment, but Bikky suddenly yelled, "Shut up! Shh!" without taking his eyes from the screen.

Dee and Ryo glanced at each other in surprise and then looked at the TV to see what had caught Bikky's attention.

An attractive reporter with a microphone stood in front of a police car, the red and blue lights flashing behind her. "The owner of Bam's, a popular restaurant in Queens Village, made the gruesome discovery when he came in to do prep work for the dinner crowd. He discovered a body in his walk-in freezer. The victim is a young male who appears to have ties to the drug trade. According to police, it is a homicide and will be investigated accordingly. The police know the identity of the victim, but are withholding his name pending notification of next of kin."

"Bikky? What's the matter?" Bikky turned toward Ryo looking so nauseous and terrified, that Ryo rushed over to the sofa. "Tell me!"

"I'm...I'm gonna barf," he whispered, and ran to the bathroom.

Ryo's eyes met Dee's with a question in them. "Maybe it's someone he knows. But I'm sure they wouldn't have shown the victim's face on TV..."

"They didn't," Dee confirmed. "But I think the kid knows who it is anyway. Damn. Wasn't Eddie in Queens?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Ryo said. "Why don't you get on the phone and get the name of the vic?"

"I'm on it, dude."

Ryo stood outside the bathroom asking Bikky if he was okay. When the boy eventually came out, he looked pale and sick, but hadn't actually vomited. Ryo fussed over him and led him back to the living room, where Dee had already turned down the TV.

For a long time, Bikky couldn't speak. He just leaned weakly against Ryo on the sofa with his eyes closed while Ryo stroked his coarse blond hair. Eventually he sat up and looked at both Ryo and Dee.

"I think that was Eddie," he said quietly. "I sent him to Bam's for a 9:30 meeting."

Ryo's gaze sharpened. "Was it about drugs?"

"No! Nothing like that. Remember eBay? The pots and pans?"

Slowly, and with much backing and forthing, the story came out about how Bikky had brought the cookware set home the night he had found Eddie on the roof of a building in Queens. Fearing questions from Ryo, he had temporarily stashed it on the fire escape at the end of the hall. Eddie hadn't had Internet access at that time and needed Bikky to log on to his eBay account and organize the sale. Neither of them expected it to sell so quickly and at full price. When Bikky had been interrupted by Ryo in the process of closing the sale, he had called Carol and given her the password and the information. She had completed the sale and phoned him back with the information. The buyer, a woman named Cindy who said she worked at Bam's, was willing to pay cash if the cookware could be delivered to her quickly. It had seemed like the best solution. But Eddie's enemies must have followed him there.

"Well, it may not be Eddie," Dee said. "We'll find out in a minute. JJ's getting the info for me."

"Did you or Carol actually talk to Cindy?" Ryo asked. "Did you get her last name?"

"Nah, it was all by email. You can ask Carol 'cause she did the emailing. 'Cindy' was all I got. Jeez, I hope she didn't get hurt. But they didn't mention any other victims, so maybe she's okay."

Just then, JJ called back with the identity of the victim. Dee took the call in the bedroom.

"The vic is one 'Edward Carlo Calvetti'," JJ said. "Is he one of your contacts?"

"He's Ryo's. But if he's been whacked, that's just kicked the legs out from under one of our cases. Shit."

"I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Sexy. If there's anything else I can do for you, or anything I can look up...or bring you --"

"No, JJ, that's good. Thanks for the name, huh? Look, I gotta go."

"Wait! Detective Tina Greenspan is handling the case over in Queens. She wants to talk to you, so I gave her your cell number and Ryo's too. I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, no prob."

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" JJ's voice was wistful. "I could change your bandage for you, or bring you some food..."

"JJ, it's only a scratch. I'm fine, all right? Are you working tomorrow? Yeah? Well I'll probably see you tomorrow then. I think me and Ryo are gonna have to come in. Bye."

He callously hung up in the middle of JJ's ecstatic reception of that news, and went to the living room. Ryo and Bikky looked at him expectantly.

"Sorry, but yeah, it's him," Dee said. For a moment it appeared as though Bikky were about to burst into tears. But then in the next few seconds he somehow mastered the impulse and his face hardened as his youthful heart tried to absorb this latest bereavement. He bowed his head, eyes tightly closed.

"Dee, can you put the kettle on?" Ryo's voice was soft. "Let's all have some tea. Dinner can wait. Bikky," he turned on the sofa to face the boy and tilted his chin up with one gentle hand. "Tell me about him. Tell me who he was to you."

Dee went into the kitchen to do as Ryo had asked, full of admiration for his partner. Less than 24 hours earlier, Ryo had been put in charge of a huge corruption case that he had a personal interest in and now, upon hearing that a key witness had just been eliminated, not a trace of the disappointment he must surely be feeling was evident in his face or voice. Eddie's testimony and his evidence would have been vital if they were to have had any hope of nailing Abernathy. Ryo had just listened to his hopes for this case being blown apart, and yet all his thoughts were for Bikky. Dee thought about the various hats Ryo routinely wore. He went from being a hard, professional LEO at work, ready to risk his life on a moment's notice, to a kind, nurturing, yet frequently strict father figure at home. He was also a loyal and generous friend to those few he allowed close to him.

_But he's all of the above for me,_ Dee thought to himself, _and much more._ _He's always trying to whip me into some kind of shape for my own sake, as well as his._ _He opens himself to me, trusts me with all the hidden parts of himself, gives and takes pleasure from me, leans on me when he needs to_. It was a revelation of sorts. In that brief moment he was amazed he had ever been jealous of Bikky, or anybody Ryo had given his time and attention to. He realized that he was the only one who saw the whole man, the only person in the world whom Ryo trusted to that extent. The next moment saw him whispering a silent and solemn prayer, right there in the kitchen, that he might always be a source of strength to that remarkable human being in the next room.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Bikky sat on the sofa, slurping his tea and telling Ryo about Eddie, who had been like an elder brother to him. The words tumbled out of him, one after the other in a desperate, breathless kind of way that Ryo recognized. He had been through this himself when his parents had died. After the initial shock had worn off, he had found himself talking about his parents to anyone who would listen, babbling like an idiot, mixing serious facts with inane observations, jumping from anecdote to opinion and back again. As long as he was talking about them, he felt that they were somehow still alive, still close to him. It was when he stopped that he felt them slipping away from him.

"Even though the dive neighborhood we lived in was mostly black, there were some Italian families too," Bikky was saying. "He used to take care of me whenever my first dad was away on business. Eddie had a hard life, but he was always tryin', you know? Before his head injury, he had hopes of going into the trades. He was real handy. There was a lot of crap busted around our shitty apartment, but whenever Eddie came over to babysit me, he would bring his tools and fix things for us. You know, broken drawer handles and furniture. Small repair jobs. He sometimes let me help. He even fixed the friggin' toaster one time. He was always lookin' out for the younger kids of the 'hood too, giving us advice and stuff. He'd give kids his jacket if they were cold, he'd rip off food for us if we were hungry. But after his mom got taken away to the nuthouse and a couple of the neighborhood brothers scrambled his brains with a baseball bat, the pushers got their hooks into him. He never really got back on his feet after that. But he still cared about the kids. He was always getting beat up for refusing to deal to first-timers."

"But he was willing to sell marijuana to you, wasn't he?" Ryo felt that had to be said, despite Bikky's current desire to lionize Eddie.

"That's where you're wrong, Ryo. He refused to sell to me. He gave me a lecture for even thinking about it. I came out of there empty-handed. You should know. You made me dump out my backpack and pockets, remember?"

Ryo remembered, all right. He had assumed that he had arrived in time to thwart the sale. It hadn't occurred to him that the sale might never have gone through anyway due to high principles on the part of the dealer.

Bikky's lower lip began to tremble; he paused in the telling of his story to get it back under control. "He gave me my first basketball. He paid for my Kung Fu lessons when my old man was too fucking broke to do anything and too stoned to care. He was a good friend to me."

"Well then, I'm grateful to him for looking out for you," Ryo said. "Did he have any family?"

"No blood left. He has an aunt somewhere in Queens, but she's not his real aunt. She was married to his uncle for a while before he had a heart attack. Now she's married to a new guy and I think sometimes she helps Eddie out, as long as he doesn't show up too often." He turned toward Ryo, anxiously. "What's gonna happen to his body? If he doesn't have family to claim it, what are they gonna do with it?"

Dee just shook his head in consternation as he listened to his partner promising to pay for a funeral for Eddie. He knew Ryo's famously soft heart where kids were concerned was about to cost him big bucks yet again. He was doing it for Bikky's peace of mind of course, but he wondered if either of them had any idea how much funerals cost.

"That's gonna be a hefty chunk of change, Ryo," he warned. "Maybe a little research is in order here."

"I know, Dee."

"How much is it going to cost?" asked Bikky.

"Thousands of dollars," Ryo sighed. "But don't feel bad. I'd said we'd give him a proper funeral and we will."

Bikky's shocked expression soon gave way to thoughtfulness. "I got an idea," he said after a moment. "Yeah, I'm s'posed to be grounded, but I know I can raise money for Eddie's funeral if you let me out. Really, I can! He had a lot of friends all over the place. Ryo, let me go do it!"

Dee doubted that the rugrat would return with more than twenty bucks for his efforts, but he was happy when his partner gave the kid permission to round up a team and go out fundraising. However, the conscientious parent in Ryo insisted that nobody would be going anywhere until they had eaten dinner.

&&&&&&&&

After dinner, when Bikky had gone out to meet Carol, Thomas, and a few other friends that Bikky and Carol remembered from their days in their old neighborhood, Dee and Ryo settled on the sofa to discuss the ramifications of Eddie's death in respect to their case.

"Well, we still have Shaver," Dee said. "He's got some serious terms that the Commish won't like, but he's willing to wear a wire. He's not keen on testifying, though."

"Let's hope he's not the next one who turns up dead," said Ryo morosely.

"I have to say that's a real possibility," Dee said, and told Ryo everything he could recall about his meeting with Ned Shaver the night before.

"We ought to talk to the Chief and the Commissioner, ASAP." Ryo was frowning distractedly. "Eddie's murder is an important development. If I were in their shoes, I'd want to know."

Dee looked at his watch, which told him it was a little after seven pm. "You can call the Badger if you like, but the Commish is probably busy boffing the Sea Hag. Or if he's not actually boffing her as we speak, he's certainly wining and dining her in preparation for it."

Ryo hesitated. "Do you think we should wait until tomorrow?"

"Nah," said Dee with a grin. "Let's throw the bastard off his game. Pass me my cell phone, would ya?"

To Dee's disappointment, the news had NOT spoiled the Commissioner's evening. Furthermore, the detective had come off the worse in a verbal brawl with Diana when she had demanded that 'Berkie' hand her the phone. And to top it all off, Rose had ended the call by saying in a dismissive tone, "If you'll pardon me, Laytner, I don't have time for this now. Please give my regards to Ryo, whom I'm sure is proving a very able nurse to his fool of a patient. Sweet dreams to the pair of you." Then he hung up just as Dee was drawing breath to retort.

Dee sat glaring at the phone for a moment before raising his eyes to Ryo's. "I think he knows. About us, that is."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you," Ryo said, and filled him in about the conversation he had had with the Commissioner in his office the day before. Naturally he left out the parts that would have sent Dee flying out of his chair in an incoherent and stitch-bursting rage.

"That rat bastard had better not be planning on breaking up our partnership," growled Dee when Ryo had finished.

"I don't think he will...at least not right away," mused Ryo thoughtfully. "He likes having something to hold over us. And he hasn't kicked us off the case yet, either. We still have a chance to stop Abernathy."

"I fucking need a cigarette," said Dee grumpily, and walked carefully to the fire escape down the hall.

The phone rang several times after that. The first call was from Detective Greenspan who wanted to know what they knew about Eddie Calvetti. Ryo was careful not to reveal too much, and they made an appointment to meet at the crime scene the next day. The Chief called --on Ryo's home phone-- to find out how Dee was feeling and when he was planning to come back to work. Bikky called close to eight o'clock and reported excitedly that he had pulled in almost three hundred dollars in the first hour and asked if he could stay out until ten. To Dee's relief, Ryo assented. This meant they had at least two more hours of time alone together, and injuries or no, Dee wasn't about to waste any precious 'Bikkyless' hours.

When Ryo hung up, Dee asked him, "Hey, when are you gonna tell me about your fan mail?" He was referring to the letter Bryce had directed them to pick up from the nurses' station. It had turned out to be addressed to Ryo, not him.

"Oh, you can read it if you want," Ryo said, getting up and fetching it from the pocket of his jacket. He explained briefly who it was from.

Dee unfolded the simple, badly spelled note, which had been written on a piece of hospital stationery, no doubt begged from the front desk. It read,

_Dear Det. MacLane, _

_I am writting you to appologize for my behavior both times I met you. I admit I looked down on you for being a fag. I thought you were weak and disgusting. But I was wrong. You fought bravely and well. You are more of a man than me or anyone I know. My actions at the market were weak and disgusting, even though I am not a fag. I can't forgive myself for making those skinheads atack you. I was very scared and it was the only thing I could think of. I feel really terrible. I just wanted to say I'm sorry and I am wiling to be a witness if you need me. _

_--Frank Marchall _

"Shit, now I've seen everything," Dee said. "A gay-basher with a conscience. And look, he even left his phone number."

"Wait 'til you hear the second-best part of the evening," Ryo informed him. "That gay-basher has a conscience because he's secretly gay."

He told Dee about catching Frank reading a gay magazine, and as he had expected, Dee hooted with laughter. "Maybe we'll see him at the Gay Pride Parade," he remarked, and then added quickly, "The kids and me, I mean."

"Which kids?"

"Well, Thomas asked me to go with him to march in support of Gay Pride. It's in a couple of weeks. Carol, bless her, said she'd come with us, and Bikky REALLY doesn't want to go, but he's decided to come with us to protect Carol."

"Oh." Ryo felt somewhat uncomfortable. He didn't have any desire to go, but he thought Dee probably would like it if he did. It felt a little strange to know that the other three members of his 'family' were all planning an activity together that they hadn't consulted him about.

"Don't look like that, love. No one expects you to go. I know it's not really your thing."

"Is it important to you Dee, this Gay Pride Parade? Because I don't remember you going before."

"Well two years ago I went with a couple of friends because you had plans that day and were pissed with me about something, anyway. But I didn't go last year because you invited me to go to the gym with you, and doing stuff with you is always my first choice."

"I guess it's important to Thomas, huh?"

"Yeah. It's like this big statement he's making. His first Pride. He wants me there as his bodyguard in case someone tries to beat him up, which I gather is a regular occurrence in his life. He was hoping both of us would come, but I told him you probably wouldn't wanna go."

"Well...I'll think about it," was all Ryo would say, but he sounded dubious.

There was a brief silence and then Dee spoke in a deceptively playful voice that immediately caught Ryo's attention. He understood that his partner was fishing for something, and it was fairly clear what it was. "If catching that guy with the magazine was the _second_-best part of the evening, what ranked as the best part?"

"Discovering you still had a pulse, of course." Ryo smiled at him, and added, "Doofus," in such an affectionate tone that Dee felt warm all over. He honestly couldn't remember another time in his life when he had been delighted to be called 'doofus'." However, he forced himself to replace the foolish grin with a more seductive one.

"I sat in that stupid rickety wheelchair today because of you," he reminded Ryo. "Let's see if you can still call me a doofus when you're fulfilling your promise later. Oh, unless you have your mouth full, that is."

In spite of the sudden warmth in his cheeks, Ryo laughed. "Dee, I didn't necessarily mean tonight. I meant sometime in the near future when there's no chance of reopening your wound."

"Come here," Dee ordered him, from where he lay on the sofa. "I kept my part of the bargain and I want my blowjob. We'll be very careful, don't worry," he added.

When Ryo still hesitated, Dee held out a hand and said, "Come on, the invalid needs a little help here. You're gonna have to assist with your own seduction. Quick, before the monkey-brat decides to come home with a gang of kids who all want ice cream or something."

"Oh, I don't think there's any danger of that," said Ryo reassuringly as he moved closer to Dee. "He's been trapped in this apartment for weeks and he won't be back one minute before ten o'clock."

"Then kiss me. Please. I've been waiting for hours, ever since you got all naughty in the hospital today."

Ryo knelt on the floor next to the sofa and stroked Dee's hair and face. "Don't you ever stop being a horndog?"

"Not until I'm dead, baby." Dee chuckled and pulled Ryo's face down toward his. Their lips met like long lost lovers reuniting at last. The passion ignited instantly between them and Ryo welcomed it. An hour earlier, they had been planning a funeral. It could so easily have been Dee's! If not for luck, or the grace of God, or whatever people wanted to call it, he could have lost this vibrant, annoying, fascinating man beneath him. And he would have died doubting that he was truly loved. Ryo resolved then and there to tell him often that he loved him. And not just tell him, but show him.

He raised his head and looked down at Dee, drinking in the details of his handsome face. His abundant black hair had fallen away from his face, revealing well-kept eyebrows that swept back from the prettiest eyes Ryo had ever seen. They were ringed by thick black lashes, top and bottom, that any woman would have been jealous of. The irises they framed were, in low light, like the color of moss in a verdant and shady forest, but in strong sunshine their hue changed and became a lighter and more brilliant green that sparkled like emeralds. There were little silvery-green triangles of light toward the centre of Dee's irises that were only visible when his pupils shrank under bright illumination. Ryo had seen perfect strangers who passed Dee on the street do a double take and then stare when they registered how unusual his eyes were. He wondered if that was the reason why Dee so often wore sunglasses outdoors, even in the winter. But now those eyes were looking up at him in slight consternation.

"What is it, love?"

"You didn't die. I'm so grateful," Ryo whispered. "One of us – both of us could die at any time. I want to enjoy every moment of my life with you."

"Nothing's gonna happen to us, baby. But I'm all for enjoying every moment." Dee's arms went around him and caressed his back sensuously. "Now help me off this sofa and into the bedroom, would you? It's time for a little gratitude of the naked variety. And I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to do most of the work, on account of me being somewhat gimped at the moment. Think you can take the lead tonight?"

Ryo rose to his feet and pulled Dee gently into a sitting position, then up onto his feet. He put his arms around Dee's neck and pressed his body against him. Both of his nipples were erect with excitement and it felt good when he rubbed them against Dee's chest. "Fortunately for you," he murmured between kisses, "I'm not afraid of a little _hard_ work."

"The harder the better, huh?" said Dee with a wicked smile, running his hands over Ryo's beautifully firm buttocks.

&&&&&&&&&

--end of chapter 25


	26. Chapter 26

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_chapter 26_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: **lemon! But not the full Technicolor version (available on other sites) that could get me into trouble here. **There's a bit of dirty talking, and later some swearing.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh (Tina Greenspan is my character, however). I am not making any money from this work of fanfiction, which is really very sad because I need money to buy a laptop. And cat food. But cat food will always come before laptops.

Author's notes: To Fan Fiction dot Net readers: As I've mentioned before, this is quite a sexy story, but I've been toning down the sex for this site because I don't want to get banned. However, the sex scenes are not just about us enjoying the smut and all. Because this story starts right after book 7 and Ryo has only recently admitted that he loves Dee and is physically attracted to him, the sex scenes are progressive and depict his gradual sexual development. He is a man who has never before had gay sex and he doesn't just dive in and feel confident and competent from the beginning. It takes him a while to get used to it. I haven't been able to show his sexual 'progression' adequately here on this site, but I have been doing my best.

I had a lot of difficulty with the other scenes in this chapter because they required knowledge of and familiarity with medical and pathological conditions and procedures. But I've got good betas. (Thanks Mtemplar for reining me in and preventing me from embarrassing myself too badly!) Just so everyone knows, if there are any inaccuracies in this chapter, they're all my fault because I didn't take all of the good advice I was offered.

As usual, chapter 27 is up on my LJ page.

Thank you to Bluesimplicity and Mtemplar for the different ways in which you help me. I'm grateful for your time, energy, kind encouragement and expertise. Thank you also to all of you readers who have so kindly left me reviews and encouragement!

_**A New Day **_

_chapter 26_

"You're gonna have to help me with my clothes, you know." Dee sat gingerly on the bed.

"I know." Ryo turned away from him for a moment to lock the door. Even though he had previously stated that he didn't think Bikky would be back for a while, he still shuddered at the memory of the time both Bikky AND JJ had burst in on them during that first test drive so long ago. "Didn't I help you in the shower earlier?" he added.

"Yeah you did. But not in the way I wanted." Dee smirked at Ryo, but his eyes were hungry as he watched his lover gracefully undress himself.

"Really, Dee! The kids were here. They would've heard us." Ryo had removed his shirt and now his hands were on the buttons of his fly. He suddenly became aware of Dee's gaze on him and he hesitated, slightly embarrassed. "MUST you stare at me like that?"

"Yeah, I _must_. 'Cause you're the hottest thing this side of the Mississippi. You could turn a straight man gay with that body."

Ryo colored, pleased in spite of himself. "You're the one who did that," he said shyly, and dropped his eyes from Dee's face as he lowered his jeans and briefs together.

"Fuck, I did, didn't I? I must be good." Dee rested his weight on one elbow as he watched his disrobing quarry from his vantage point on the bed, all the while making silent note of which body parts he would lick, kiss and leave little sucking marks on first. He added softly, but with a lazy grin, "Hey Ryo, am I good?"

"I can't answer that on the grounds that you're already conceited enough."

"Get over here and get me naked, right now." Dee's voice was a throaty growl.

"In a minute." Ryo smiled at him and carried his clothes to the chair in the corner.

When he returned to the bed, he stood just beyond Dee's reaching hands and looked at him with just a hint of determination in his manner. "Let's get a couple of things straight," he said.

Dee bit back the clever retort that had automatically appeared in his mind. Ryo seemed to want to take charge, which was a new thing in their sexual dealings, and he didn't want to do or say anything that might make his lover retreat into flustered passivity. Not yet, anyway. Ryo was actually standing in front of him naked without looking more than a little bit self-conscious, and that was definitely progress.

"What's on your mind, baby?" Dee was still trying to touch one of Ryo's lean, masculine hips.

"First of all, I've got some idea of how stiff and sore you are. I don't want you to exert yourself, even though it seems to be your natural instinct to grab and pounce, injured or not. You said I should take the lead tonight, and I think that's best."

"Okay," Dee said meekly, dropping his hand.

"Secondly, we're not going all the way because I refuse to run the risk of tearing your stitches, so if you had that in your mind, you can just forget about it for now. Maybe in a week, when your stitches come out, we can think about it."

"Yes _Sir_, but I hope that thinking about it is not the ONLY thing we're gonna do..."

"Dee, just let me take care of you, all right?"

Dee was touched. "But I wanna take care of you too," he said quietly.

"Maybe later in the week when you're not so banged up. We've got lots of time. Tonight, let's just take it easy, okay?"

"Okay. You're the boss." Dee appeared acquiescent, but Ryo suspected it was only temporary.

He stepped closer to the seated man and murmured, "Let's get you out of these clothes."

Dee could see the tenderness in his partner's dark eyes and he instinctively arched his body toward Ryo's hands. Whenever Ryo was close to him like this, touching him, it was all he could do to control himself. But Ryo was right. He wasn't physically able to do anything too energetic and he didn't think he should try. He commanded himself to relax and submit to whatever it was the other man had in mind.

When Ryo had divested Dee of his clothes and folded them neatly on the chair with his own, he picked up a bottle of body lotion and returned to where his partner was sitting. "Lie down," he instructed, pulling back the comforter and exposing the sheets.

"Lie down how?"

"Any way that's comfortable."

Dee lay down carefully on his back so that he would not be deprived of the sight of Ryo. Ryo came and knelt on the bed next to his upper body, on his un-injured side.

"What are you gonna do with that lotion, Sexy?" Dee asked in a softly teasing voice, and received a grin from Ryo.

"Nothing exciting, so don't get your hopes up. It's just a little massage, that's all."

"Which parts of me?"

"I plan to massage all the unbruised, un-concussed and un-shot parts of you," Ryo replied.

"Well, that'll take all of 60 seconds. Don't the injured parts get any love?"

"They get kisses." Ryo leaned down and kissed a bruise on Dee's ribs, left there by the skinhead he had fought the night before.

"Does my dick get massaged or kissed too?"

"I don't think it would be possible for me to forget about that part of you," Ryo remarked lightly, but without looking directly at Dee's face. He busied himself by pumping lotion onto his hand and then rubbing his palms together to warm it up.

Dee decided to push his luck further in the hopes of seeing another blush creep over his lover's features.

"Will anyone in this room be sucking cock tonight?"

Ryo hesitated, feeling his face grow warm. He always felt a little flutter of butterfly wings in his stomach whenever Dee talked dirty to him like this. But it was going to be hard for him to keep the upper hand if he allowed things to continue in that vein. He stole a glance at the other man's face and saw that his partner was grinning mischievously at him.

"I will be," Ryo replied in what he hoped was a firm voice. "Not you. Your job is to relax. Now stop talking, if that's even possible." He began massaging Dee's shoulders.

"Mmmmmm...Baby, you don't know how good that feels." Dee appeared to be ignoring Ryo's last order. "And I don't think you realize how good it feels for _me_ when your cock is in my m--"

Ryo hastily stopped the flow of speech with a kiss, during which, Dee's tongue snaked into his mouth and reminded him of all the clever things he could do with it. After a few moments, he reluctantly pulled back, but to his dismay, Dee continued speaking, this time in a husky whisper.

"Your cock in my mouth..." He pulled Ryo's head down for another kiss-- "Your balls all tight and hot and heavy in my hand..."

"Hey," Ryo protested, feeling his control starting to slip away from him.

"Your cream spilling out all over my---"

"Dee! Stop that. I know what you're trying to do. Now cut it out, okay? I'm in charge, not you. What I say goes, at least tonight."

"Okay, sorry," said Dee, who looked anything but sorry. "As long as you understand that I'm gonna feel like a total failure as a lover and a man unless you find some Ryo-approved way for me to get you off tonight."

"All right. But later." Ryo inclined his head at Dee and resumed massaging his shoulders.

Dee chuckled and closed his eyes. "Got you hard," he said.

"Shut up."

With an exaggerated sigh of contentment, Dee settled down to enjoy being stroked and massaged.

True to his word, Ryo applied loving ministrations to every part of Dee's body, right down to his toes. For the first time in weeks, Dee was able to relax completely. He found himself getting quite sleepy though, and he fought against it. He certainly didn't want to risk falling asleep before things had a chance to get really interesting.

Finally, when Ryo had massaged, moisturized and kissed every square inch of Dee's skin that he could reach without turning him over, he turned his attention to the semi-hard penis that was waiting for him. First he stroked it experimentally and felt it twitch under his hand. He added a bit of lotion and ran just his fingertips over its velvety surface, up and down, around and back up to the head. A little drop of precum appeared at its opening; he caught it up with his thumb and used it to create additional friction. For a few minutes, he explored Dee's rapidly engorging phallus, tracing the veins with his fingers, feeling the ridge of its helm, caressing the sensitive place on the underside of the head. Dee's penis was becoming as familiar to him as his own. It was maybe half an inch longer than his, with quite a pronounced head. Ryo's own member was slightly thicker in girth and had a more tapered crown. Despite the minor differences between their two penises, it had been clear to Ryo from the beginning that they certainly seemed to respond to the same types of stimulation. He caressed Dee's balls, gently fondling each one through his sack, eliciting a gasp and then a small groan from his lover. He felt a tentative sense of achievement that, even though he was a novice where gay sex was concerned, he was still succeeding in giving pleasure to the vastly more experienced man beneath him. Dee had refused to talk about it in terms of actual numbers, but Ryo knew that his lover had been with far more women than he had, and certainly, more men. He imagined that Dee had performed fellatio possibly hundreds of times; he really knew what he was doing and seemed to love every aspect of it, too. As for himself, Ryo couldn't say that he _loved_ doing it, but the prospect of giving Dee pleasure in this way did hold a certain excitement. He just wished he could do it as well as Dee.

"What's going through your head, baby?" asked Dee, who actually had a pretty good idea of what his partner was thinking. Ryo probably didn't know it, but except for when he was in professional cop mode, nearly every feeling he had was written on his face.

"That thing you do with your throat... Why don't you gag or choke?"

"Experience, baby. I'm a cocksucker from way back. I had to learn and practice, just like everyone. It takes time to overcome the gag reflex."

"Did it take you a long time to learn?"

"It took me a couple of months," said Dee, grinning at Ryo. "But everyone's different. Why all the questions?"

"It...It feels so good. I want to make you feel that good."

"Are you sure? Because, let me say this, you don't have to. I love the way you do it. The status quo is just fine with me."

"Well it's not fine with me. I like to be good at things. And I hate it when you're better at something than I am!"

Dee burst out laughing, but stopped abruptly when he realized what Ryo was doing with his mouth.

He lay back on the bed, awash in pleasure while Ryo performed his act of love. Ryo's relative inexperience just wasn't an issue for him, despite what his partner may think. It was his willingness that mattered, and the emotional connection between them. Ryo was giving him a priceless gift, and Dee in turn gave him the gift of surrendering and accepting it.

When Ryo finished, he sat up and, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand, looked at Dee with a triumphant expression. Dee was grinning at him, but the grin lacked its usual brash edginess, and Ryo thought he understood why. He had noticed that whenever Dee had an orgasm, he was temporarily emotional and vulnerable, incapable of hiding his true feelings behind a mask of bravado and wit.

"My Dee," he whispered, letting all the love he felt for his partner show in his face. "My lover." He observed the way Dee's breath caught and his adam's apple moved up his throat and then back down.

"Ryo!" the other man cried out and reached out an arm to him. Ryo carefully slid up Dee's body and found himself in the circle of Dee's right arm, being crushed to a hard, lean chest, while another hand came up and caressed his hair.

"Dee...Be careful, you've got bruises here!" Ryo admonished, genuinely worried.

"Don't ever cut me loose, baby. I know I'm a pain in the neck, but don't ever leave me, please..."

Ryo hugged him carefully and kissed his chest, laughing softly to himself.

Dee was silent.

"Dee, for two and a half years you've been MORE than a pain in the neck. I've been temporarily demoted twice because of you. I've had to push your goddamned car in heavy traffic. I've been insulted, shot at, and beat on because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. I have written no fewer than fifteen apology letters. And did I leave you? No. Instead I had to go and fall in _love_ with you and started learning how to suck-- how to become somewhat adept at gay sex! I can't leave you, you idiot, however much I may have fantasized about it. I'll leave you when I die and not before."

Dee squeezed Ryo tighter and smiled up at the ceiling. "Love you, babe."

"I know," said Ryo.

"And it wasn't heavy traffic."

"Yes it was."

"Was not."

"Shut up and roll over."

"What the hell for? I can't blow you if I'm face down."

"You can do that later. First I want to massage the back of your body. After I've done that, I'll see about collecting. Deal?"

"Deal," murmured Dee sleepily, rolling onto his belly.

&&&&&&&&&&

The sun was well up by the time that Dee stirred. What woke him were the twin breakfast smells of coffee and bacon. There was also a dull pounding pain behind the front of his skull, which he thought was seriously unfair since he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. When he finally felt he could face rolling toward the light to look at the clock, he did so. Upon receiving the intelligence that it was five after seven, he recoiled and burrowed further under the blankets. Seven o'clock on a Sunday morning was WAY too early for anyone to be up and that evil sunshine was driving knives deep into his brain. Yet, in spite of all that, he wanted to get up. He knew Ryo would be getting ready to leave for the office soon. Neither of them was scheduled to work, but given the recent developments in their case, it would be necessary to go in. Dee didn't want to stay at home if Ryo was going to work. He wanted to be where Ryo was.

Just then, the bedroom door opened a crack and Ryo stuck his head cautiously inside.

"Dee," he whispered.

"I'm awake," growled Dee sullenly, raising his head and then wincing at the unholy brightness once more.

"Dee, I'm just going to head off to the office for a couple of hours..."

"What, without me?" Dee sat up rapidly and squinted mistrustfully at Ryo.

"You're recovering from a concussion and you're not even scheduled to work today! If there was ever a day when you should stay home and stay in bed, this is it."

"No way, dude. I'm coming too. Wait for me, okay?" Dee swung his legs over the bed and looked around for his clothes.

"Are you sure?" Ryo handed him his own robe and gave him a doubtful look. "How's your head?"

"Killing me. But that's what drugs are for. Any coffee left?"

"A bit. But I'll make you some fresh."

Dee smiled for the first time that morning and hugged Ryo's robe around himself. "Thanks baby," he murmured and kissed Ryo's cheek on his way to the bathroom. "I'll just have a quick shower and shave. Back in a few."

&&&&&&&&

Detective Tina Greenspan couldn't decide which of the two detectives from the 27th was better looking.

One was tall with thick, sexy dark hair he had obviously attempted to slick back with gel that morning, but strands of it were already starting to hang intriguingly in his gorgeous green eyes. She wished she were on terms with him that would allow her to reach up and push it back off his brow for him. He was flirty and fun and had already quite openly checked out her legs. She was glad she had chosen to wear a skirt and heels today.

The other one was also tall, but less so than his partner. His hair was a light, sun-streaked chestnut brown and his eyes were as black as midnight. Detective Greenspan was partial to dark eyes on a man, but these were like nothing she had ever seen before. Whenever he turned them in her direction, she felt lost in them, almost tongue-tied. Yet there was nothing provocative in his manner. He was reserved and professional and seemed to evince no interest in her beyond the case at hand. Since both the mirror and the overt admiration of just about every male she knew informed her on a daily basis that she was a woman of above average looks, she felt certain he was just hiding his attraction to her for reasons of his own.

Both men were lean and well built, and carried themselves with confidence. She couldn't believe her good luck in meeting these two fine specimens of manhood just when she had been about to give up on the dating scene in New York. She wasn't sure at this point which one she wanted -- perhaps both -- but she did know that it was absolutely necessary that she find a way to extend this first meeting into two or three, preferably more.

Accordingly she adjusted her approach so that she dealt with each man differently and in kind. With Detective Laytner, she joked, smiled and gave him the eye whenever she was sure that there was no chance his partner would see. With Detective MacLean, she met sobriety with solemnity, soft-voiced formality with an answering gravity. She was determined to win them both over, using all the means at her disposal. Chief in her arsenal was an hourglass figure, a shoulder length mass of wavy auburn hair, and a face that had helped to pay her way through university with occasional modeling gigs.

She had met the two men at the crime scene earlier and showed them the corner of the walk-in freezer where the body had been discovered, and now they were back at the 99th Precinct, reviewing evidence.

"These items were found in the pockets of his jeans," she said. "Quite a mish-mash. It's our belief that his pockets were ransacked and then everything was just stuffed back in haphazardly. And there was no cash found anywhere on his person, except for those few coins you see there."

"Is this everything?" Ryo asked.

"Yes. Most of these things were found on or near the body. The only exception is this." Detective Greenspan held up a black plastic buckle. "This was found on the floor under the counter. We don't know whether it belonged to the vic or not."

Dee held up the plastic bag that contained the buckle and looked at it. "That'll be from a backpack," he remarked and his eyes met Ryo's.

Ryo turned to Detective Greenspan with eyebrows slightly raised.

"I'm sorry," she said. "There was no backpack. Did you have reason to believe that he was carrying one?"

"Yeah, maybe," said Dee. "Guy was a booster. He ripped stuff off and then packed it around until he could offload it for cash."

"But it also could have come off a staff member's backpack," Ryo added.

"True," she said. "I'll ask Mr. Oliver if it belongs to him."

"How long did you say he owned Bam's?"

"Only six weeks," Detective Greenspan answered. "He's been very unlucky."

"Hey, do you think we could have his contact info?" Dee asked. "We might wanna ask him some questions at some point."

"If you wish to speak to him, I'll set up an appointment and we can all go," she replied firmly and then looked at Ryo. "Shall I do that, Detective MacLean?"

"Yes, please do," he replied gravely, and turned back to his perusal of a small spiral bound notebook. It had only one entry on the first page: _Meet Cindy at Bams, 9:30 am._ The note included the date and the address of the restaurant. On the inside front cover, he had also written: _Property of Eddie C. Calvetti._

Detective Greenspan was disappointed in his continued taciturnity. Didn't the man ever smile? She was sure his handsome face would be absolutely beautiful if he did.

"Not much in there, hmm?" She indicated the notebook.

He shook his head. "Prints?"

"Only one set. The results aren't back yet, but I'm certain they'll turn out to be Mr. Calvetti's."

Both men glanced at each other again, but remained silent. She began to suspect they were holding something back from her.

"So, what can you gentlemen tell me about his drug trade activities?" she asked them.

"It's all on the rap sheet, Sister," Dee said. "I bet that was the first thing you checked out."

"Well, I'm looking for the parts that _weren't_ in the rap sheet, Detective. And since I'm not and never will be a nun, please don't address me as 'Sister'." She gave him a slightly provocative look from under her lashes.

"No, you definitely should never become a nun, Detective," murmured Dee as he swept an appreciative eye over her physical attributes.

Detective Greenspan ignored that last comment. "I'm hoping you fellows can maybe shed some light on why Mr. Calvetti was lured to this restaurant and then murdered."

"Looks like he maybe had a couple of enemies," said Dee, who was fascinated by the effect that the cool breeze from the open window was having on this pretty woman's breasts. "He probably ripped off the wrong guy."

Detective Greenspan turned toward Detective MacLean and for a moment, she could have sworn that he had been looking at his partner with annoyance in his eyes. Ah! Perhaps he was just a tiny bit jealous? She seemed to be making headway at last.

"Did you have reason to believe that Mr. Calvetti might have been in danger?" she asked him.

He hesitated and then said, "Yes, we thought perhaps he was. He was present at the OD death of a young female a few days before he died. Unfortunately, he ran away before we could question him."

"What was it about the death of the woman that made you think he was in danger?"

"We think that the OD might not have been an accident and that it might have been meant for him. It's possible that he knew something that compromised one of his associates."

"Do you have any idea what that 'something' may have been?"

"Yes," Ryo replied, "But it's all conjecture at this point."

"Well, would you mind letting me in on it?" Detective Greenspan moved a step closer to him and schooled her features into a half serious-half earnest expression. "I'd like to help you if I can."

He disappointed her by moving back almost imperceptibly. "You can help by giving me directions to the morgue," he said, and the corners of his mouth moved in what was almost a smile. "I'm not one hundred percent familiar with this borough."

"I'd be glad to," she said, pulling out her notebook and scribbling directions to Queens Hospital Center. "Are you going there now? I'll meet you there."

"Sure, why not?" said Dee at the same time as Ryo started to say, "That won't be nec--"

She looked back and forth between them, and said, "Excuse me?" There it was again, Detective MacLean's little glare at his partner. But Detective Laytner seemed to be looking slightly abashed. What on earth was going on with these two?

"Uhh...Suit yourself," said Dee to her, shooting a wary look at Ryo.

"Let's go then, gentlemen," she said courteously, indicating the door. "And tell me when you would like to meet with Mr. Oliver. Today? Tomorrow?"

"ASAP, if you would be so kind," said Ryo.

Detective Greenspan heartily enjoyed the walk through the bullpen, down the stairs and out through the lobby. Every woman in the place stared at her and the eye-candy she was walking with. She was fairly certain she'd be mobbed with questions later. She had to try to get a date with one of them, just so she'd have something to report.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Oh, is this your 'undercover' car?" Detective Greenspan directed the question at Detective Laytner, since he was the one holding the keys.

"No, this is my personal car," Dee answered proudly.

Detective Greenspan's opinion of Detective Laytner went down by a few degrees.

"Oh!" she said brightly. "Well, I guess I'll see you at the hospital then in, oh...25 minutes? If I get there first, I'll wait for you."

"Twenty-five minutes?" Dee grinned at her. "I took out the old V-6 and put a V-8 engine in this baby a couple years back. We'll be the ones waiting for you."

"Well, if you say so," said Detective Greenspan, looking doubtfully at the car and then bestowing a smile on Detective MacLean. This man, she was certain, would never allow himself to be seen driving around in a car that was more than five years old, possibly even seven or eight. And with such a pathetically juvenile home-done paint job, too! Imagine putting thick white racing stripes on the hood of an old Chevy Cavalier. It looked like a couple of kids had done it.

But the next moment proved her wrong, as Detective MacLean demanded the keys from his partner and got into the driver's seat.

The engine made an absurdly loud rumbling sound as he started the ignition. It sounded powerful and...embarrassing. She gave Detective MacLean a sympathetic look as he started to back out of the parking spot. "See you there!" she called. He nodded enigmatically in response.

&&&&&&&&

The attractive Queens detective clicked along on her fashionable Italian slingbacks down the silent hall that led to the morgue section of the hospital. Her searching eyes had not seen that rather conspicuous car in the parking lot, but somehow it just didn't seem possible that they might have arrived before her. Oh well, maybe they were here and they had parked behind a van or something. She couldn't believe how calmly Detective MacLean had just gotten into the driver's seat of that appalling vehicle. He obviously had a good relationship with his partner and didn't want to hurt his feelings. She thought well of him for that. Detective MacLean's stock had been steadily rising with her over the past hour. She hoped he wasn't married or heavily involved with someone, despite being the father of a child. At least he hadn't been wearing a wedding ring.

As she pushed open the double doors to the morgue and felt both the chill and the horrible smell of the place hit her, she saw them. They were at the end of the room, conferring with a morgue attendant. The cold compartment that Mr. Calvetti's remains had been assigned to was open and the drawer had been pulled out. She felt a flash of irritation that they hadn't bothered to wait for her. It was her case after all, and her jurisdiction. It would have been more mannerly. She hid her annoyance by fishing about in her pocket for the handkerchief dabbed with cinnamon oil that her partner had taught her to bring whenever she had to view a cadaver.

Detective MacLean noticed her first and gave her a nod while murmuring her name by way of greeting.

His dark-haired colleague looked up then and waved. "Hey there," he said. "Sorry we started without you. We didn't know how much longer you were going to be." There was an insolent grin on his face that clearly belied his words of apology. But she didn't care. Her mind was made up. Detective Laytner, with his shallow, easy ways, was someone she could have anytime. The real challenge was his partner. His was the heart she was determined to win.

"Don't worry about it!" She made a dismissive sound and waved her hand. "At least now you're caught up to speed, right? We're all on the same page, I hope."

She looked down at the corpse with a dispassion that Dee rather admired her for. She was a tough little chick with the face of an angel and the body of a porn star, but he had her number, all right. She had a hunch that they were working on something big and she wanted in. And she was still young and naive enough to think that she could use her looks on any man in order to bend him to her will. Dee thought that her tactics would have probably worked just fine on Ted or Drake. _But they ain't here, sweetheart,_ he thought to himself. _It's just us gay chickens._

"What are you laughing about, Detective Laytner?" She attempted to conceal her vexation behind the little pink handkerchief she lifted delicately to her nose.

"Don't mind him -- he's recovering from a concussion," Ryo broke in. "He was hurt on Friday night and he wouldn't stay home and rest today."

She turned back to Detective MacLean, her resentment dissipating. That was perhaps the longest sentence he had yet spoken to her.

"Did they tell you about the autopsy?" she enquired, thereby dismissing out of hand the subject of Detective Laytner and his concussion.

"Yeah. Not 'til tomorrow morning," Ryo said. He shook his head. "Would be nice if it could be today, though."

"Yeah, don't you guys at the 99th have any pull?" Dee knew that the slight sneer in his voice would make her bristle and sure enough, it did. He wasn't about to forget the way she had looked at his car. He also thought she was the type who would look cute when she was angry, and he was right.

Stung, she drew upon her dignity and replied, "This is a special case, Detective Laytner. Have you noticed the bright pink color of the vic's lips? That's because he was frozen solid as a result of being put in the freezer by whoever killed him. The freezing arrested the normal process of decomposition, yes, but you'll observe that he hasn't fully defrosted yet. No autopsy can be done until that process has finished. And then they'll have rigor mortis to contend with. Surely you can understand that." Her words had somehow come out in just as patronizing a tone as the one that Detective Laytner had used toward her. Although she didn't precisely regret it, she hoped it hadn't done her any harm with the other man. She spared a quick glance at Detective MacLean to see if he had noticed, but his face was difficult to read.

"Ralph here says his boss estimates the time of death at some time around lunchtime yesterday," Dee remarked. "But it may have been earlier since Eddie's appointment was apparently for 9:30 am. The first thing your CSI team did when they got there at 5:00 was to mark off the location of the body and get him out of the freezer, as per instructions from the coroner's office. At least that was what it said in the file. So it seems to me that there's been more than enough time for some defrosting. Ralph, my man –" Dee turned to the morgue attendant. "Didn't you say you guys let him thaw a bit after they dropped him off here yesterday?"

Ralph nodded shyly, pleased to be asked for input.

Dee turned back to Detective Greenspan. "So what makes you think he isn't all thawed out by now?"

"Well, I… He doesn't _look_very thawed." She vaguely remembered something about that in the files. Damn that Ruth for going off on a stupid vacation and leaving her just as a murder case broke over their heads. She had no experience with frozen bodies and her partner did.

"How 'bout it, dude?" Dee glanced at Ralph again. "Is he still a popsicle?"

Ralph shook his head emphatically. "Not for quite a while. Still got a touch of rigor, though, which accounts for the stiffness."

Detective Greenspan shot Ralph the briefest of withering looks

"Come on, Detective," Dee said to her. "He's not frozen anymore, and we all know that the forensic docs don't usually let a little case of rigor mortis get in the way of a good autopsy. No reason it couldn't be done today."

He looked at her with a lazy smirk, which caused her to color slightly. She hoped that the general dimness of the room hid that. Know-it-all bastard.

"Well, I'm certainly impressed to learn that the detectives of the 27th are able to influence the schedule of the employees of the city medical examiner's office," she retorted. "Do let me in on your secret sometime."

Ryo, who until that point hadn't been paying close attention to her exchange with Dee, ascertained that she was feeling slighted. He smiled at her kindly and changed the subject.

"As soon as you've made an appointment for us all to have a chat with the restaurant owner, please let us know."

She conferred upon him her most attractive smile, the one that she knew showed the white perfection of her teeth and brought out the dimple on the left side of her mouth. "Way ahead of you Detective. Tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. At the restaurant."

"That's great news; thank you," Ryo said, and looked at her with friendly approval.

This emboldened her to try once more to get him to let her in on whatever secrets he was keeping to himself about this case. She wished he would trust her. She didn't want to have to use her trump card this early in the game if it could possibly be avoided.

"You know I feel it would be in all of our best interests if we were to work together on this case -- on an ongoing basis," she said. "After all, all three of us want the same thing, don't we? And that is to catch the murderer."

Ryo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he nodded to Ralph, the morgue attendant, to cover Eddie up again and put him away. He had felt inexplicably sad and mortal looking down at Eddie, cold and dead on the table, even though he had seen probably close to a hundred corpses in his career. Sometimes he took it hard, and when he did, it always seemed to be for a different reason. The last time he had been affected like this was when he had looked at the bullet-riddled corpse of Leo Grant, which had only been a few weeks ago. He sighed and pushed such thoughts out of his mind.

"Detective Greenspan," he said. "You've been very helpful and we certainly do appreciate you giving us your time like this. But the fact is that our case is, as I said earlier, inconclusive. He was the man who had the information we needed." Ryo indicated Eddie. "And now we're not going to get any answers from him."

"But you _must_ know something," she protested. "Give me a lead, a place to start."

"I'm sorry, Detective, but I can't do that today. This case is highly sensitive." Ryo was gentle but firm in his dismissal and it irked her.

Nodding at his partner, he added, "We'll be going now. See you tomorrow at eleven."

Seething, she let the two men get almost to the door before she called out, "Detective MacLean!"

They paused and turned around to look at her.

"Yes?" asked Ryo politely.

Tina Greenspan took a deep breath and played her ace.

"At what point were you planning to tell me that your son was the one who set up the appointment that got Mr. Calvetti killed?"

That certainly got their attention. Detective Laytner recoiled in angry surprise and immediately dropped his hand from the door handle. But it was Detective MacLean's reaction that frightened her. Even from across the room, even in the dim light, she could see how white his face had gone. His black eyes glittered with a cold and ominous fury and she felt a somewhat irrational desire to get behind the nearest autopsy table.

"Who gave you that information?" he rapped out, and strode purposefully in her direction. She forced herself to stand still and tall and face him unflinchingly. Behind him, his partner was eyeing her suspiciously. "Answer me!" The urgency in his voice brought her a sudden realization that he was merely behaving like a father who was trying to protect his son. Yet he was also a cop, and he had no business trying to hide important evidence from her. This was her territory, not theirs, and her investigation, also.

"I got a call this morning from a Lieutenant Mike Abernathy," she told him, and both men's faces registered angry, yet strangely resigned reactions. Detective Laytner swore loudly, which jarred upon her already nervous emotional state. She hated it when men swore in loud, angry voices.

"What did he say?" Detective MacLean's voice was quiet and dangerous, and again she fought the urge to back away.

Despite her tension, Detective Greenspan straightened and, tossing her hair back off her shoulders, made a bid to gain the upper hand in this conversation.

"I think YOU should tell ME that, Detective," she informed him in the calmest tone she could manage.

All that did was to cause the flames of rage to leap back into his eyes, but before he could speak, Detective Laytner cut in.

"Don't you play fucking games with us, Tinkerbell. This is the man's son you're talking about! Now give it up and tell us what that fucking bastard said or you're going to wind up in shit so deep that you'll never get the stink off your career."

She stared at him, angry and a little afraid, but it was his mention of her career that decided her. There was obviously something more to this than she had previously suspected.

"He said that your son had been heavily involved with Mr. Calvetti and had in fact acted as some kind of go-between in setting up the appointment at Bam's. He...He hinted that your son, Bik --Bikky, is it?-- might even have been acting for the murderer."

"That goddamned lying motherfucking sonofabitch!" yelled Dee, smacking his fist into his palm. "I'll kill him! I'll put that fucking cowardly weasel in fucking traction! His own wife won't recognize him--"

"Dee, shh. I can't hear myself think." Ryo had his temper under control again, something that always seemed to happen in response to Dee's losing his.

"Who else have you told this information to?" he asked the somewhat shaken looking woman who stood before them.

"No one."

"Partner?"

"In the Caribbean. Back on Thursday."

"Good." Ryo nodded, more to himself than her. "Please keep this to yourself for now."

"Is it true?" she demanded.

"What Lieutenant Abernathy has said to you borders on libel. You should ask yourself what an Internal Affairs lieutenant is doing getting even peripherally involved in a murder case that is not only NOT part of his current job description, but well out of his jurisdiction. We have to take this new information to our lieutenant ASAP." Glancing at his partner, he said, "Come on Dee, let's go. Detective, we'll be in touch."

As they strode toward the door, Detective Greenspan couldn't help calling out, "Detective! I'm still going to need to interview your son!" But the door swung shut, leaving her alone with the awed and flustered Ralph. She turned flashing violet eyes on him and snapped, "What the hell are YOU looking at?" which sent him scurrying, crestfallen, to the far corner of the room to busy himself with the rearranging of some instruments.

Outside in the hallway, Dee caught at Ryo's arm. "Dude, whoa, slow down, okay?"

Ryo stopped immediately and looked at him. "Are you all right?" he asked. He saw that one of Dee's hands was clutching his injured side and he had raised the other to his head.

"I just need to sit down for a minute, that's all. I shouldn't have gotten mad like that. My brain feels like it's beating itself to death against the inside of my skull."

"You shouldn't have waved your arms around either. Do you think you're bleeding?"

"I dunno."

"Look, there's a men's room. Come on. Do you have your meds with you?"

"Yeah." Dee patted his pocket and allowed Ryo to lead him out of the corridor and into the men's room.

Ryo leaned against a sink opposite his partner, who sat on one of the toilets, fully clothed. When he had taken a peek at Dee's injury, he had determined, to his relief, that it wasn't bleeding.

Dee had just taken two of his prescription painkillers and was waiting for them to take effect. His eyes were closed and he sat with his hand lightly pressed against his bandage.

"Do you want one of the doctors to take a look at it while we're here?"

"Hell, no! Next thing they'll be checking me in and running tests and before I know it I'll be stuck overnight. No, just give me a few minutes here and I'll be good to go."

"All right. Take your time." Ryo gazed out of the window, which offered an unprepossessing view of one of the hospital's adjacent buildings. His brow was marked by a little frown of anxiety, and despite his pain and fatigue, Dee wanted to comfort him.

"It'll be okay," he said. "We'll bring Bikky and Carol in together and they can make statements. It has to be done anyway."

"That's not what's bothering me," Ryo said. "It's that bastard, Abernathy. If he only wanted to stir up trouble, he could have made an anonymous call with a tip. But he didn't. This is cat and mouse. He wanted me to know that he's aware of what Bikky did."

"Yeah, you're right," said Dee. "How could he have known that? Do you think Eddie told him?"

"We'll never know." Ryo sighed. "Notice how he had no hesitation about using his name. I think this is his charming way of letting us know he's got the laptop and we've got nothing on him."

"You worried about Bikky?"

"Yeah, a little. If Abernathy thinks Eddie told Bikky about the work he was doing, I wouldn't put it past him to set Bikky up in some way. And I don't think he would hesitate to use him against me if he could. But I can't believe he would actually harm him..."

Dee, however, thought he sounded a little doubtful about that. He himself wouldn't put anything past Abernathy at this point.

"We got more than nothing. We've still got Shaver. I should give that guy a call, but first we need to sit down with the Chief and probably the Commish and work out some acceptable terms."

"Well, the earliest that could happen would be tomorrow," Ryo said. "There's not much more we can do on a Sunday afternoon. I'm going to head back to the station to document what we did today. You, however, ought to rest."

"No, I wanna come with you," Dee said stubbornly. "Couldn't we just pick up the files so we can update them at home?"

"I suppose we could. Then I could make sure you actually rested."

Dee stood up carefully, but looking happy. "Well, let's get the hell out of this depressing place then." He leaned in and kissed Ryo's neck. "I'm more than ready for a quiet evening at home."

Ryo thought it was cute the way Dee had, for such a long time, referred to Ryo and Bikky's apartment as 'home', on equal status with his own. "Which 'home'?" he asked Dee. "Yours or mine?"

"Whichever," Dee answered. "Home is where _you_ are; that's how it is with me."

Dee was amazed when Ryo slid an arm around him right there in the men's room and kissed him passionately. His normally nervous partner hadn't even looked over his shoulder first. And now he was pulling back slightly but he hadn't actually let go.

"What was that for?" he asked Ryo, delighted.

"Because I love you," said Ryo. "And I don't want you to ever get confused about that again."

"I love you too, baby! Does this mean we're going to have sex again tonight?"

"Dee! You really do have a one-track mind."

"I'm just sayin'..."

"The answer is 'not if Bikky's around. ' And it's a school night, don't forget."

"Aw, Ryo."

"We'll have a nice evening anyway, with or without sex. Come on, get a move on."

"God, you're bossy," Dee grumbled, but he followed Ryo with a smile on his face.

End of chapter 26


	27. Chapter 27

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 27_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: T for teen or M for mature. Whichever one is higher. Warning: Hot stuff coming, people. Nudity and acts of love between two men in a committed relationship. Swearing (Ryo) and dirty-talking (Dee).

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh (Tina Greenspan, Eddie Calvetti, and Ned Shaver are mine, however). Nobody is paying me to write this story, although there might be those out there who would consider paying me to stop!

Author's notes: Please read and review! And if you want to read chapter 28, you know where to find it. By the way, if you are reading this on FF DOT Net, the lemony goodness will naturally be diluted. But if you had been hoping to read the sexy bits on my LJ, I have to warn you that they've been changing the rules over there so as to protect minors. You might not be able to read it there unless the Powers That Be are satisfied that you are a certain age. The full, unabridged version will be on AFF, however, and someday, when this story is finished, I'll get round to posting the remaining chapters on Mediaminer, and it will be all lemony there, too. Mediaminer is a very low priority for me, however, since as I've said before, nobody loves me over there!

I stole a line from the wonderful RPG Fake 2nd chances! Fans of the RPG might recognize it. If you've never checked out this RPG, you can get the address from my LJ. Or email me and I'll send you the address for the beginning. And no, I'm not one of the players! I'm just a fan. It takes a only sa very few posts to get off the ground, but it's wonderfully entertaining, and absolutely hilarious! It starts from between volumes 4 and 5 and you get to go through Dee and Ryo's slow courtship all over again from many different perspectives.

Thank you to Bluesimplicity and Mtemplar for catching my gazillion screw-ups. You guys are wonderful. Thanks also to bale-ikura for your help with legal terminology. I appreciate your willingness to help me.

_**A New Day **_

_Chapter 27_

Ryo straightened up from a crouching position in front of the bottom drawer of the file cabinet to find himself unexpectedly nose to nose with JJ.

"Ack!" he exclaimed, almost dropping his files.

"Sorry, Ryo. Didn't you hear me knock?""

It did not escape Ryo's attention that, despite the 'sorry', JJ's manner and tone of voice were completely devoid of any vestiges of apology. Worse, there was just the faintest hint of a smile playing about his lips. Ryo felt annoyed, but he kept his face neutral. He was also pretty sure the younger detective hadn't actually knocked.

"No, I guess I didn't," he replied. "Next time, please try knocking louder." He deliberately turned away without answering JJ's unspoken question.

JJ was obviously unable to go away without asking it. "Where's Dee? I thought he said he would be in today."

"He went down to records room two. He might still be there, especially if Annette's there."

"Annette?" JJ's voice rose slightly. "The one with the big...?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, opening the top drawer of another file cabinet. "That one."

"See ya, Ryo! Have a good night and everything, okay?" JJ exited the office rapidly with a determined look on his face.

Ryo pulled out one more file, transferred the whole pile to his briefcase and headed for the door. He was just switching out the light when he saw Drake coming down the hallway.

"Hey, Ryo," the other man said by way of greeting, looking delighted to see him. "How are you feeling? I heard you and Dee got into quite a brawl on Friday night."

"That's right, we did," agreed Ryo. "But I'm not the one who got shot. That was poor Dee."

"Yeah! JJ told me. That partner of yours is so fucking lucky, I don't know how he does it. He must have been born with horseshoes up his ass, that's all I've got to say." Drake shook his head in amazement at Dee's narrow escape. "The witness said he was shot at close range, less than fifteen feet. Jesus."

"Witness? What witness?"

"Guy that came in yesterday. Said he saw the whole thing. Seemed to be scared of JJ for some reason."

"Did he leave a name?"

"Yeah, but I forgot. It wasn't me who took his statement."

Ryo wondered if the witness had been Frank Marchall. Then he remembered that he ought to thank Sheldon on his way out. He had been the one who had processed the paperwork on the skinhead assault of Dee and himself late on Friday night. That bit of help had been what had allowed him to stay at the hospital overnight with Dee. He really did have great co-workers. Well, most of them, anyway.

"Walk with me, Drake. I've got to get going, but I wanna hear about that miracle you and JJ pulled off in the Lydgate case. Is it true what I hear?" He pulled the door shut behind him and he and Drake started strolling down the hallway together.

"Well, I guess that depends on what you've heard." Drake tugged restlessly at the knot of his tie.

"Only that you cracked the case. You nailed the bastard! We've all spent weeks spinning our wheels on that one. Way to go."

"Thanks," said Drake with a grin that looked more like a grimace. "But the guy's not in custody yet. We got a little more work to do first. We need that DNA test he's been refusing to submit to."

"You'll find a way to get it," Ryo said reassuringly as they started down the stairs.

"That's what Chief said. Only he added, 'Or else'."

Ryo grinned. "That just means he has faith in you, that's all. But seriously, you've done us all a favor."

"You think so? Say, maybe if that's the case, the rest of the CI division wouldn't mind springing for pizza tomorrow." Drake looked hopeful.

"Tell you what, " said Ryo, trying not to laugh at his fellow detective's predictability. "I will personally buy you and JJ matching pizzas the day Mr. Lydgate gets taken in for his arraignment. He'll never make bail if the evidence is as good as I've heard."

"You're on, dude!" Drake playfully punched his arm. "Hey, where's Dee? He around?"

"Well, I left him sitting in the car but ten to one he got bored and is yakking away to someone out front."

"Tell him to take it easy," Drake said. "I gotta go find JJ. Good night!" He took his leave of Ryo on the second floor.

After a detour to thank Sheldon, Ryo found Dee on the front step, smoking with a couple of the surveillance guys. They were all laughing uproariously. Ryo couldn't help grinning at him. Dee certainly had a way with a joke.

"Looks like your meds have finally kicked in," he observed good-naturedly.

"Nah, this energy is courtesy of Starbucks," Dee said. "Thanks for the coffee, bro." He raised his paper cup at Ryo. "You ready to go?"

Ryo nodded and they said goodbye to the other two officers.

"We're still stopping by my place, right?"

"If you still want to."

"Dude! I've been wearing the same shorts since Friday night. Of course I want to. And I want a change of clothes for tomorrow, too."

&&&&&

Ryo stood in front of Dee's closet, flipping through his clothes. Dee was getting changed behind him and he didn't want to turn around and look. Or more specifically, he didn't want Dee to catch him looking.

"Which suit do you want?"

"The grey one."

"That one's too nice for work. Pick another one."

"Well, that's the only one that's ready to go."

"What's wrong with your blue one?" There was a slight edge to Ryo's voice that caused Dee's ears to prick up warily.

"JJ tackled me when I was eating an apple. It needs to go to the cleaners."

"Your black one?"

"JJ tackled me when I was standing next to Ted. Bastard was drinking chocolate milk."

Ryo gritted his teeth and glared at Dee over his shoulder. "How about your brown one, then?" He turned back quickly because Dee was standing next to his bed wearing nothing but a pair of tight black boxers and an unbuttoned pastel shirt that contrasted beautifully with his olive skin.

"I hate that one," said Dee. "Brown is not my color. Besides, the lapels are two years out of style. I don't know why I haven't gotten rid of it."

"Well, we're bringing it anyway. Maybe you can wear it later in the week after JJ attacks you with a -- a cinnamon bun or something, and wrecks your gray suit too." Ryo could hear the resentment in his own voice and silently scolded himself for not being able to control it.

"Ryo, what's with you?" Dee was suddenly standing behind him, his hand lightly touching one of Ryo's shoulders. "Don't tell me you're jealous...of JJ?"

Ryo shrugged his hand off savagely, his face burning. He could hear the grin in Dee's voice and it infuriated him.

"I am NOT jealous of JJ!" he snapped, and continued to yank hangers to the left, one after another.

"Well, you're jealous of somebody," murmured Dee, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. He crowded a little closer to his partner, who really had nowhere to go to get away from him except into the closet. Like a hound on the scent, Dee felt that an impromptu sexual skirmish would shortly be in the cards. His instincts were usually bang on about such things.

Ryo shifted his shoulders irritably and nudged Dee with his elbow on the non-injured side of his body. He wished he could elbow him much harder, but he refrained. His nudge didn't seem to have an effect, though, as Dee didn't budge. "Which shirt is your best shirt?" Ryo demanded.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Dee slid his arm lightly around Ryo's taut abdomen from behind, and tried not to smile when he felt his partner struggle briefly against him. The struggle only resulted in Dee's groin being pressed up against Ryo's ass.

Ryo wriggled around in the tight space so he could see his partner. His eyes were baleful.

"I just thought you'd wanna be sure to wear it when we meet with that...that attractive Detective Greenspan tomorrow," he said.

Without a word, Dee sent his hand up to cup the side of his lover's face and the next thing Ryo knew, he was being kissed passionately and aggressively, with no warning and nothing held back. Dee's tongue tasted faintly of coffee and cigarettes and the promise of something sweeter.

"You..." murmured Dee between kisses, "...are such an _idiot_."

"Fuck you," Ryo retorted in a throaty voice, kissing him back and wondering why the hell he was responding when he was feeling so inexplicably pissed off with him.

"Idiot," repeated Dee, taking hold of his partner's necktie and kissing him again. "Dimwit. Doofus." He began to walk backwards towards the bed, towing Ryo with him by his tie, kissing him hungrily and murmuring tender insults into his mouth all the while. "Moron...Mmmm...Dork..."

"I should be saying those things to YOU," gasped Ryo. "What the hell do you...Mmmph...Ahh!...do you think you're doing? I'm mad at you, you know!"

"Yes, I know, my darling Dumbass." Dee stripped off Ryo's tie and rapidly undid the buttons of his dress shirt. "But you also want me to feel you up and suck your cock, don't you?" His hand slid inside Ryo's shirt and roamed up over his pectorals. Ryo's skin felt hot and Dee liked the way his lover's heart was beating excitedly against his chest. His nipples were already hard and when Dee tweaked one and began rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, Ryo uttered an angry little moan and trembled against him.

"No! I -- well, yes," he admitted and his mouth sought out Dee's again for a brief sucking kiss. "Why, Dee? What the hell is wrong with me?" He moaned again as he felt Dee's hand pass in a confident caress over the aching erection which was straining against the front of his pants.

"You love me, that's all," whispered Dee. "And you're a sweet, jealous, clueless airhead who doesn't even realize that that little bitch wanted YOU, not me." He continued to stroke Ryo's penis through his clothes.

"No she didn't," panted Ryo. "She kept staring at your shoulders and your face, and then your butt when you turned around." He frowned through his desire, feeling annoyed again.

"That's because you've got a smokin' hot boyfriend, baby." Dee's teeth flashed in a quick grin while his hands were unfastening Ryo's belt and tugging at the top button of his fly. "But she still decided on you in the end."

"No, I could see her smiling at you and trying to get you to look at her -- which you did! Did you have to flirt with her like that?" Ryo yanked the collar of Dee's open shirt off his shoulder and bit his neck, sucking hard and marking him possessively. "Why make her think she can have you? She can't have you! You're mine."

Dee felt an incredible thrill run through him at the sound of those words. His own erection throbbed madly at the way Ryo had just laid such fierce claim to him. No one had ever said those words to him before, and he suddenly realized that he had been waiting all his life to hear them.

"That's right," he whispered against Ryo's neck, dragging down the man's zipper and reaching for his sex, which all but leapt into his hand. "I'm yours, only yours, for as long as you want me."

"Dee!" Ryo groaned with the acute pleasure of what Dee's fingers were doing to him. "I want you..." His trousers had pooled around his ankles and he couldn't move. Dee turned him slightly and pushed him down into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, all without letting go of his penis.

Ryo lay back on the bed, still in his suit jacket, with his shirt open to the waist and his erection protruding from his shorts. Dee wished he could climb on top of him and apply lips, teeth and tongue to his partner's flat belly and beautifully sculpted chest. But bending at the waist was a bit difficult for him with a healing wound on his lower left side, and he decided not to risk it. He could kneel though, so he gingerly dropped to his knees in front of Ryo's open thighs and gently disengaged Ryo's dress pants from around his ankles so that he could spread his legs properly. He caressed Ryo's calves and thighs and rubbed his face reverently against his crotch, while the recipient of all his love and desire lay back on the bed, propped up on his elbows, panting with desire and watching him ardently. Dee could see that Ryo was waiting for the pleasure to begin, waiting for the intense sensual gratification, which both of them knew that Dee's hands and mouth would unfailingly deliver. He slowly tugged his partner's shorts down over his hips, enjoying the sight of his fully engorged male equipment as it came into full view, just inches from his face. Ryo's testes were drawn up tightly to his body, and Dee smiled, thinking of the load he would shortly be draining out of them. He gave the whole package a sensual nuzzle before drawing back so that Ryo could close his legs long enough for his underwear to be removed. When the other man was fully naked from the waist down Dee bent his head to his work. Before he got too far down that road, however, Ryo's hand came down and stopped him.

"Dee, how's your wound?" His voice was shaky with desire, but Dee knew he would shut things down without a second thought if he suspected that he was in any pain.

"Fine, love," he said. "As long as I don't twist or bend, I can do this. God, I want to do this..."

"Then do it," Ryo whispered. "Please…"

Dee's formerly silent bedroom was soon filled with wet, slurping sounds, along with sighs and moans from Ryo that started out soft and low, but got louder and breathier as Dee took him closer to climax. He didn't allow Ryo to come as quickly as he wanted to, however. He brought his lover to the edge twice, backing him off each time, but it was mainly because he himself didn't want it to end yet. On the third time he led Ryo to the precipice, he let him go over, enjoying the way his moans increased in intensity until, with a startled shout, he flooded Dee's mouth with his slightly bitter, but to Dee, utterly erotic, ejaculate. The taste of it sent him hurtling headlong into his own orgasm, which he shuddered though silently.

As the last tremulous spasms of pleasure fell away from him, a pressing need for oxygen caused him to draw his head off Ryo's member and take a couple of deep breaths.

His eyes met Ryo's and he tried for a grin. "Still mad at me?" His voice was a little hoarse, due to what he had been doing.

"No," whispered Ryo. "Love you too much." He held out his arms. "Come hold me."

Dee did, lying on his right side and caressing Ryo's body with long, loving strokes.

Presently, he spoke. "You're still hard."

"Yeah," said Ryo. "But it'll settle down eventually if we ignore it."

"I have no intention of ignoring it. For two and a half years I begged God to bring me this. It would be an insult to his bounty if I didn't get you off again..."

"Uh, Dee, I REALLY don't think God would mind if you just took a rest like you've been needing to do all day."

"You wish I could fuck you, don't you?"

Ryo didn't respond, but his cheeks went a little pinker and his penis got harder under Dee's idly stroking hand.

Dee sighed. "I wish I could fuck you too. But I think it would be asking for trouble."

"Maybe on Thursday or Friday," said Ryo without looking at him, "When Bikky's at school. You're off those days too, right?"

"I'm off Friday, not Thursday."

"Friday, then. We can try, anyway."

"Try, nothing. We're full-on doing it, no matter what my fucking stitches think. Now pass me that lube over there on the nightstand. I'm gonna beat you into submission. And take your jacket off so I can look at you."

Ryo didn't argue with him. For whatever reason, he was overflowing with sexual energy today and he knew that he needed another orgasm to completely calm himself.

At first, they lay on their sides facing each other, and Dee jerked him with a lubricant-slick hand while kissing him at intervals and describing in lurid detail exactly what he planned to do to him next Friday. When the position became too difficult for Dee to maintain, he rolled onto his back and got Ryo to kneel beside him with his thighs spread apart. This allowed him to caress Ryo's left thigh and buttock with his right hand while continuing to masturbate him to completion with his left. When the moment came, Dee aimed Ryo's penis in the direction of his face, and managed to catch some of his seed in his mouth. The rest splashed across his throat and cheek, and some of it landed on the pillow.

When Ryo subsided, he stared at Dee's face in dismay and guilt. "Oh no, look what I've done! I'll be right back." He headed off to the bathroom on slightly shaky legs and returned with a warm washcloth, which he used to wipe Dee's face and neck. Then he dabbed at the pillow.

"You really ought to do laundry before you sleep here again."

"No way. That pillow, as is, is a wet dream waiting to happen."

"Dee, that's disgusting."

"Whatever you say, babe." Dee then horrified Ryo by hugging the pillow.

&&&&&&&&&

"Oh, hello there, Andrea," Dee said into the phone, sounding surprised. "How ya doin', hon?" He held the phone away from his ear, grinning at Ryo, while a screeching sound issued from it. He brought the phone back to his ear and continued, "Well as much as I love our little conversations, it was actually Detective Shaver I was looking for. Has he come in yet?"

At that moment Ted pushed open the door and said with a grin, "It's Walrus time. He's ready for you guys. Looks crabby too. Better you than me!" He left them with a cheerful wave.

"I'll be sure to tell him, DETECTIVE Fowler," Dee was saying into the phone with exaggerated politeness. "Have a nice day, ma'am." He hung up and smirked at Ryo. "She said to tell you that your partner is an asshole."

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Ryo said. "Come on, get your coffee. Chief wants us."

The left the office and strode down the hall together. "Shaver called in sick today," Dee said to Ryo. "And you know he didn't answer his phone both times I called last night."

Ryo nodded. "Something's up," he said. "You're gonna have to go and see him after our appointment at Bam's. If Abernathy decides to take him out too, we're screwed."

&&&&&&&

"Come in, boys," the Chief called out. "Commissioner Rose is probably gonna drop by for part of this meeting, so I just wanted to let you know that right off the bat. Dee, get that look off your face. He's in a position to fast-tracks funds and manpower for this case, and you should be grateful for that. No---" He held up a hand to forestall any smart remarks from Dee, who had indeed opened his mouth to deliver one. "Spare me the sass. Now, let's get on with this."

"Yes, sir," Ryo said, and launched into the newest development of the corruption case they were working on, which was that Lieutenant Abernathy had apparently called Detective Greenspan of the 99th to inform her of Bikky's involvement with Eddie and specifically, with the arrangement of the meeting that had led him to Bam's.

"I think that means he took the laptop from Eddie, Chief," Ryo concluded. "Contacting Detective Greenspan was a pretty confident thing for him to do. We'd probably had him scared there for a while when he realized that we knew about the laptop and he couldn't find Eddie. But now he doesn't seem scared anymore."

"Well, if that's so, it was most likely him that organized the hit on the junkie then," grunted the Chief. "I have yet to see a CSI report on the crime scene, though. Did Calvetti have any other enemies who might have done it?"

"Junkies always have enemies, Chief," said Dee. "Though, apparently this guy was an unusually enterprising and lovable junkie." He shrugged.

The Chief snorted derisively. "Yeah, right. Now tell me again Randy, how your kid came to be involved in this?"

Ryo explained patiently about how Bikky had known Eddie for years, and that it had been Bikky who had found Eddie in Queens and put him on the phone so that Ryo could warn him last Thursday night. During that phone call, Ryo had gotten phone confirmation of his suspicion that Lieutenant Abernathy was working with Eddie, and later Thomas had told Ryo that his father knew about Eddie's habit of taping phone calls. The night that Bikky had met up with Eddie in his hiding place in Queens, Eddie had sent him home with a cookware set that he expected Bikky to ship to whichever buyer might bid for it on eBay.

"Shit, eBay!" grunted the Chief. "I remember that part. Who would have thought a homeless junkie would be boosting high-end merchandise on eBay?" He shook his head.

"Like I said, Chief, he wasn't your average junkie," Dee put in.

Ryo continued with his summary of Bikky's involvement. "Eddie gave my son his passwords for eBay and the email address that was in his profile. Someone named 'Cindy', whom we think was most likely Abernathy, bid on the cookware set and exchanged emails with my son and his girlfriend respectively. They were both using Eddie's email address. 'Cindy' claimed she worked at Bam's restaurant and offered to pay cash if the cookware set could be delivered to her personally. Eddie was in great need of cash, so to him, it must have seemed like a godsend."

"What have you done to track down the IP address of 'Cindy'?"

"We've handed it off to the Cyber Crime Investigations department, but as you know they're pretty understaffed down there. We expect to get an answer in a couple of days," Dee told him.

"I wouldn't hold out too much hope on that one. Ten to one the email contact was initiated from a public place like the library. And 'Cindy's' email address will have been registered with fake everything."

"That's true." Ryo sighed. "But it's possible that if it was a public place like the library, Abernathy's face might show up on a security camera. It's a long shot, I know, but it's worth checking."

"Yeah, check everything," the Chief said. "Anytime you can get a perp on camera, it goes down good with juries. So if Cindy was really Abernathy and Eddie was really your son and his pal during the email exchanges, how do you think Mike got wind of the fact that your son was involved?"

"We can only speculate about that," Ryo said. "Abernathy might have gotten it out of Eddie verbally before he killed him, or, if he's got the laptop, he may have found voice files on there from Bikky."

"Chief," said Dee suddenly. "You've known the bastard for a long time. Do you think he might harm Ryo's son?"

The Chief looked thoughtful, but before he could answer, a smooth voice spoke from the door.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I trust I'm not interrupting?"

Commissioner Rose stood there, crisply attired in a pale spring suit that Dee's knowledgeable eyes told him had easily cost a thousand dollars. His lip had just started to curl in an instinctive sneer when Ryo kicked him gently.

"Of course not, Commissioner," said the Chief. "Please come in. One of you idiots give him your chair."

Ryo rose to his feet and shook hands with Rose. "Good morning, sir. Please take my seat. I've been wanting to stretch my legs anyway."

"Thank you, Ryo. If you're sure it's not a bother..."

Ryo just shook his head and moved to lean against the window sill, facing the room. On another morning, he might have added that it was a pleasure, but all he could think about at the moment was the crude power play that the Commissioner had tried to pull on him the last time he had been in the man's presence on Friday afternoon.

"How much time do you have, sir?" the Chief asked respectfully.

Commissioner Rose pulled back his sleeve with one perfectly manicured but powerful-looking hand and consulted his watch in a flash of platinum. "I can give you ten minutes," he said. "I'm due at the mayor's office in half an hour."

"Well, that'll have to do. Fill him in, Randy. You're lead detective on this one."

&&&&&&&&&

Detective Shaver lay on the sofa in his shabby bachelor apartment in the Bronx, wishing he had some coffee but not knowing if he could keep it down. Outside the sky was blue, the birds were singing and people were going about their daily business, buoyed by the natural optimism of spring. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had felt that way.

His whole body ached. That had been quite a beating they had laid on him Saturday night. His kidneys had taken some damage and his piss had come out brown like fucking coca-cola all Sunday. He hoped he would be well enough to go into work tomorrow, but at the same time, he couldn't help wondering if there was any point.

And that cocksucker Abernathy hadn't been sympathetic. "Extricate yourself, Neddy," he had said. "A smart and savvy man like yourself ought to be able to find a way."

He knew what Mike expected him to do: go over to the Devils. It was quite simple, really. The Stone Blood Boys weren't looking out for him the way they should, and with them he was a lone wolf dealing with a pack. The odds did not exactly smack of success, certainly not in the long run. He had been a fool to think that his NYPD status had ever offered any protection. It had been an illusion, like so much of what he had thought was good in his life.

If he crossed to the Devils, Mike would be there with him, along with whomever else he had on board. He knew that Mike could do what he could not, which was to make dangerous criminals respect him. He would no longer be out in the cold. He would be part of a pack, united under a strong leader. Maybe life would get good again.

But no. There he was, getting caught up in illusions again. He knew he would never offer his services to the Devils. They had been wooing him right alongside the Stone Bloods, back in the good old days a scant year ago when he had been thinking that things were finally about to go his way. Everyone had wanted a piece of him then, and they were all willing to pay. He had chosen the Stone Blood Boys for one reason only, and that was that they didn't traffic in minors, whereas the Devils did. He'd been involved in a bust a couple of years back that still haunted him. The Devils had been getting set to move a shipment of merchandise across the state line, and his team had gotten wind of it. They arrived at the 'safe house', maybe only 5 minutes or so before the gang had high-tailed it out of there, leaving everything behind. The 'merchandise' had consisted of a hundred kilos of high-end cocaine and half a dozen freaked out looking teens. One of them had been a kid only a few years older than Kevin, handcuffed to a bed, naked from the waist down. Hard-bitten though he was, the sight of that boy had upset him. Essien Ibo, the leader of the Stone Bloods, was apparently an avowed family man who claimed to value children. He was scum, of course, but he had six or seven brats by different mothers that he took an interest in.

That had been his somewhat naive reason for the choice he made last summer, but he had other reasons now, even in addition to the fact that the Devils had practically put him in hospital the night before last. Both the Dyre Street Devils and the Stone Blood Boys consisted solely of lying, conniving, murdering, unscrupulous men without honor whom he wouldn't want to turn his back on in broad daylight. Come to think of it, that was a pretty apt description of his fearless leader, Mike, too. How had he come to get involved with such a collection of bastards?

His only hope now was that those two Manhattan detectives would be able to get him some acceptable terms in exchange for his cooperation. Although it kind of went against the grain for him to turn rat, he felt that the circumstances warranted it. He was caught between too many opposing forces, and if those he was considering ratting on had shown him just a bit more loyalty and respect, it wouldn't have become necessary. For a few moments, he allowed himself to dream of a future free of all this stress and danger, one where perhaps all this misery and uncertainty would finally be behind him. When Kev was a bit older, he would love to rent a boat and take him down the coast of Maine. He wondered if he could foster in his son the same love of the sea that he had... But, shit. He was probably just dreaming.

When it came right down to it, he didn't trust Detectives Laytner and MacLean, either.

&&&&&&&&&

"Detective Shaver is not in a position to dictate terms," Commissioner Rose said. "If he thinks he can do as he did and not serve any jail time, he's dreaming. It's more a question now of his cooperation serving to mitigate the length of his sentence somewhat."

"Sir!" Ryo was frustrated. "He's our last living witness. We need him to lead us to a few more. As far as I understand it, he's quite adamant about not going to jail. He's quite naturally concerned for his safety."

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect the guy to last a week inside," Dee said.

"We can almost certainly arrange for him to have his own cell and take his meals separately," said the Commissioner. "But the man _will _be doing some time. If he assists us in our investigation and if he's lucky in his own trial, he might only have to do a couple of years. Can you imagine how this is going to look in the court of public opinion? Not only will the papers all be crowing about widespread corruption in the NYPD, but they'll also have a veritable field day with the fact that a former detective who has stolen drugs for resale purposes and participated, however unwittingly, in a drug murder disguised to look like an overdose, is to get away scot-free. I will not have it, gentlemen. I'm taking the long view here."

"Sir," said Dee. "As things stand now, this whole case pivots on him. If we can't get Shaver's cooperation, Abernathy just goes on doing what he's doing, building his little empire, bringing the rot further into the halls of the NYPD. If we don't take steps to stop Abernathy NOW, this thing will be so big by the time he finally does get taken down that the press circus will be ten times worse than what you just described."

Ryo gave Dee a quick admiring look from under his lashes. That was what he had wanted to say himself, except that he knew he was too angry to speak coherently right now.

The Commissioner, who had not missed Ryo's quick glance at his partner, remained unmoved. "Detective Shaver needs to be brought to understand that what he is facing now is a choice between doing ten to fifteen or two to five. There will be no free pass out of jail this time. Not for him."

"If I were him, I'd run," said Dee.

"Of course _you_ would," murmured the Commissioner as he got to his feet, automatically smoothing the wrinkles from the front of his slacks. "But I think you'll find he won't."

"If I were him, I wouldn't trust anyone that promised me protection in prison," Ryo said quietly.

"Come now, Ryo, do you truly believe that prison guards and officials can't do the relatively easy job of keeping a man from harm when the police have made a deal with him?"

Ryo was silent, but his demeanor clearly showed that he disagreed with the Commissioner.

"Lieutenant, I hate to leave you, but I'm a bit pressed for time today. Detectives, I'm sure you'll find some way to represent the situation to Detective Shaver in its best possible light." The Commissioner paused a moment, and then added, "Play him if you have to."

Silence managed to reign for a full thirty seconds after he left before Dee couldn't hold it in any longer and exploded.

"Play him? That's his brilliant suggestion? Shaver's stupid, but he's not _that_ stupid! Fuck, it's always La-La Land crap like this that happens when the top brass get involved in a case."

"Dee," said the Chief. "You've been around the block long enough to know that this is how the cookie crumbles sometimes. The Commissioner is adamant that the man must go to jail. Work with it. Try to salvage what you can." He turned toward Ryo. "He's given you the go-ahead for surveillance. I suggest you draw up a plan and a program for how you wanna conduct that. In the meantime, I suggest you..." His voice trailed away at the sound of raised voices in the hallway outside his door. He could hear the voice of Leona, the secretary he shared with Lieutenant Abrams saying, "Sir! I told you he's in a meeting. You cannot go in there until---"

At that moment, the door was flung open with such force that it struck the wall, and all three men in the room stared in amazement at the intruder.

Lieutenant Michael Abernathy stood on the threshold, and he appeared to be in a towering rage.

&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 27


	28. Chapter 28

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May) **

_chapter 28_

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Fandom: FAKE

Rating: Mature. No sex. Just the usual swearing and one kiss

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh (Mike Abernathy is mine, however). I receive no money to write this story.

Author's notes: Please read and review. If you'd like to read Chapter 29, it's on my Livejournal page in two separate posts.

Thank you to Mtemplar.

**A New Day **

_Chapter 28_

"Lieutenant Abernathy," the Chief said. "What brings you here?"

"_Lieutenant_ Smith, I came along to see you in person, since it was clear as daylight you weren't planning on returning your old friend's calls anytime soon." Abernathy stepped into the room and shut the door firmly in Leona's face.

The Chief's face went from incredulous to angry in a matter of seconds. "Mike," he rumbled, "What the hell's gotten----"

"Save it, Warren. I know you're probably busy, so I'll make this quick. And what I have to say, I want to direct equally at these two detectives here, particularly you, MacLean." Lieutenant Abernathy jabbed an accusing finger at Ryo, who looked surprised.

"I don't want you or your paramour here" --he jerked a thumb in Dee's direction-- "sniffing around my son anymore. Perhaps you think it's all right to be flaunting your unnatural relationship before your own child, but I won't have a man of your stripe encouraging my boy to walk your unGodly path. How dare you take him to a Karate class without consulting me? It's bad enough that you had him in your clutches for two nights last week. God only knows the extent of the harm that was done to him!"

"Lieutenant Abernathy," said Ryo in a hard voice, leaving the window sill and taking a step forward. "No harm was--"

Mike immediately interrupted him, his loud, accusing voice drowning out Ryo's. "No harm was done? No harm? That you can say that to my face without a blush is a miracle, it surely is! Why, the boy's come back more set on his destructive lifestyle choice than ever! He says he was inspired by the_'love'_ he witnessed between you two!"

Ryo thought he had never heard the word 'love' sound so dirty, especially as it was accompanied by a look of sheer revulsion from the Internal Affairs lieutenant. That look hit him like a blow.

"Now the fool boy wants to grow up to be like _you_. He says he doesn't believe in a God who would send him to hell for finding happiness in the arms of another male! He refused to attend church yesterday! And you have the balls to say to me that no harm has been done?"

"Mike, we all know that you've been having problems with your son," said the Chief. "But you can't lay the blame for a pre-existing situation on the two men who found him and looked after him."

"If you consider feeding him, giving him a warm place to sleep and laundering his clothes to be harming him, then I am guilty!" Ryo was angry. His face was as red as Lieutenant Abernathy's and although none there would have guessed it, he was trying very hard not to let go of his temper and punch the insufferable little man into the coat rack.

"We took him to a basketball game too," Dee added loudly. "By your twisted logic, I guess we're guilty of 'sports abuse', huh?"

"You can joke all you like, Detective Laytner. I wouldn't be expecting a man with no family of his own to have any understanding of these matters, particularly a man of such well-known dissolute and licentious proclivities! In fact--"

Abernathy stopped mid-sentence as Dee rose, cursing, from his chair, and seized him by the collar. Almost right away, however, Ryo was there between them, effectively preventing either man from being able to strike the other.

"Dee, let him go," he said, giving him a warning look. "This won't solve anything." He thought that surely by now, Dee's stitches must be reminding him of their existence.

"I'll thank you both to get your filthy hands off me! It shames me that the NYPD allows the likes of you two within its ranks!" Abernathy turned his head and addressed the Chief, who had risen to his feet behind his desk. "Warren! I don't know what you thought you were about, sending this pair of degenerates out after my boy. All I can say is you must not have been aware that these two are flagrant **HOMOSEXUALS** and not fit to be in the company of decent men, let alone children!"

Although Mike had more or less been shouting since he had arrived in the Chief's office, this last sentence had been delivered with extra volume, no doubt for the edification of anyone who might have been lurking outside in the hall. Ryo knew that Mike's dramatic door-banging entry had probably attracted interest from a variety of quarters. He didn't doubt that that particular detail, plus any other choice bits of information that had been overheard, would be all over the building by noon. But he couldn't think about it now. He had to not only get through the next few minutes without losing his own cool, but at the same time, somehow prevent Dee from punching out Abernathy.

"Decent men like you?" Dee snarled. "Decent men who beat their children and force them to run away from home to the 'safety' of the streets?"

Mike lost what last few traces of control he had been holding over his temper. "Unhand me, you unnatural freak! Don't touch me with the same filthy hands you touch your lover-boy here with. It makes me sick to even look at you!"

The Chief had to hurry out from behind his desk to assist Ryo in hauling Dee away from Lieutenant Abernathy.

"Aw, Chief, let me get just one shot in. Lemme send him to the dentist. You know he deserves it! C'mon, let me go," Dee insisted, struggling mightily.

"Stay away from my boy," Lieutenant Abernathy spat at Dee and Ryo. If you attempt to seduce his mind or any other part of him again, I will do everything in my not inconsiderable power within the NYPD to make sure that you regret it for the rest of your misbegotten lives!"

"Mike, you sonofabitch, that's enough!" bellowed the Chief. "This is my precinct, my office, my goddamned turf! And Laytner and MacLean are MY men, and damn fine detectives, at that. How dare you come in here throwing your weight around for all the world like you outrank ME? This 'distraught father' act simply doesn't cut it if that's your excuse for carrying out some kind of warped personal vendetta on men under my command. I find your behavior both incomprehensible and highly unprofessional."

"Warren, I--"

"QUIET! You've had your goddamned say! You've made your little scene AND your point, at the cost of your credibility and mine. This ain't high school, you nincompoop; it's real life. IA is clearly not keeping you busy enough if you feel you got time to drive over here on a Monday morning to yell at me and my detectives over what amounts to a bunch of trumped up crap! I'll be writing this up, Mike. You can bet your ass on that."

Abernathy's face was still angry, but the Chief's words had quelled him somewhat. He drew himself up to his full, rather diminutive height and scowled at all three of them.

"I've said all I came here to say, and I'll be leavin' now." He stepped over to the door with his head held high. "But I meant what I said. Keep those two predatory popinjays away from my son, or so help me, there'll be hell to pay."

"It's not illegal to be gay, _sir_," snarled Dee.

"No, and more's the pity," Abernathy replied. "Good day, Warren." He walked out of the door, leaving it open.

Before either of them could say anything, Leona, who had obviously been hovering nearby, rushed in. Janet was there too, but she waited outside.

"Sir, I'm so sorry!" Leona exclaimed. "I tried my best to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"It's all right," the Chief said reassuringly. "I'm not blaming you. Lieutenant Abernathy can be a force unto himself when he's riled up about something."

"I just couldn't believe it when he pushed right past me-- I've never experienced behavior like that from a---Did you say he was a lieutenant with _Internal Affairs_?" Leona eyed Dee and Ryo wonderingly over the Chief's shoulder.

Ryo glanced at Dee. The Chief hadn't actually said any such thing – she had probably learned that from standing right outside the door. The two detectives waited silently as the Chief ushered her out, making reassuring comments and asking her to write him a report of her part in this incident, in her own words. When he had closed the door behind her, he came back in and returned to his desk with an irritable sigh.

"What the hell was that all about?" he asked the two angry-looking detectives.

"I think he came here to find out if we had told you about our suspicions concerning him," said Ryo, matter-of-factly. "He also wanted to provoke one of us into hitting him so that he could claim we were persecuting him in case he ever found us staking out his apartment building."

Dee looked at Ryo in surprise, but the Chief just nodded and picked up the cigar he had been forced to discard earlier when it had been necessary for him to help restrain Dee. "Good job, Randy. Bastard took a calculated risk. And whaddaya think now? Did he get the answer to his question?"

"I'm not sure, sir. A lot depends on how you guys used to interact. I don't know your history."

"Well, I'd say he knows. He's a smart man, except for that temper. The temper is his weak point. You should keep that in mind."

"He's not smart," said Ryo. "He's cunning. There's a difference. I believe he has made some spectacularly stupid mistakes in his life, and I want to be there when he makes the next one."

"We will be, Ryo," Dee said from his place beside him. "We're gonna shut that sonofabitch down." He was looking a little pale, and he stood with a hand resting lightly on his injured side, but his voice sounded strong and determined.

"He had another, more crass purpose in coming here today, too," the Chief said, looking at them speculatively. "Apparently he felt a burning need to inform me that you two are involved in a... personal relationship."

Dee and Ryo were silent, each fearful that their partnership was about to be broken up. Ryo was worrying what the chief would think of him now. He already knew that the Chief was tolerant of gays because of his experience with Dee, as a flagrant bisexual, and JJ as an even more flagrant homosexual, but he thought that the knowledge that HE was also gay would probably come as a surprise to the Chief. _How's he gonna react when he finds out he has __**another**_ _one?_ he thought.

The Chief looked steadily at them for a moment, and then said, "Siddown, the pair of ya. I know what you're thinking."

They sat. Neither said a word.

"According to regulations, I should break you two up and assign you different partners, maybe even assign one of you to a different department."

Ryo slumped his shoulders; Dee looked angry.

"Just keep your trap shut, Laytner. I ain't done talking." The Chief took his cigar out of his mouth, turned it around and frowned at the end that was supposed to be lit, but wasn't.

"The fact is, yours is a successful partnership, one of the best I've ever seen. The number of crimes you two have solved together is, I think, way higher than what you could have achieved with other partners, or by working alone."

Ryo dared to raise his head and look at the Chief. He and Dee cautiously exchanged glances.

"You two are not married, correct?"

"Correct," said Ryo quickly, although he blushed furiously at the very thought.

"Not common-law? Not co-habiting?"

"No sir."

"Have you made any kind of public declaration about being a couple?"

"Not yet." It was Dee who answered this time, with a sidelong look at Ryo.

"Then I don't know shit," said the Chief, lighting his cigar and taking several long puffs. "All I've been told was some hearsay, some gossip about the personal lives of two of the guys on my team. There ain't nothin' here I have to formally act on."

Dee and Ryo broke into smiles of relief.

"But I don't want any crap, d'you hear me? If you're having problems with each other in your, ah, FRIENDship, I don't want that spilling over into your work life, capiche? I expect professional behavior at all times."

"Yes sir!" Ryo couldn't stop smiling.

"Now get back to work. Just because it's non-stop drama around here doesn't mean the Commissioner isn't breathing down my neck for a wrap on the Lydgate murder. Come on guys, Parker and Adams left you dead in the water on that one."

"Hey, you were the one who told us to drop everything and find that kid!" Dee grumbled resentfully.

"I didn't tell you to drop everything, I just told you to work harder. I don't know why I waste my breath, since slacking off is your number one talent, Dee. Now, like I said, get the hell out of here."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As they left the Chief's office, they found themselves under the surreptitious scrutiny of several interested parties. Ryo felt that he didn't want to look anybody straight in the eye until he'd had a chance to consider all the ramifications of what had just happened. He couldn't wait until they reached the relative privacy of their office on the fourth floor. But he was also concerned about Dee's injured side and whether he had done any further damage to it.

"How's your wound?" he asked under his breath as they headed down the long corridor that led to the stairs.

"Fucking killing me," Dee muttered back through gritted teeth. He was clutching his side as they walked.

"Is it bleeding?"

Dee lifted his hand and checked his shirt. "Possibly," he said. "It's either bleeding or seeping fluid, because I feel something wet down there, but the bandage seems to be soaking it up so far."

"Maybe we should get you to a hospital," Ryo said, frowning at him anxiously. "I knew I shouldn't have let you come to work today!"

"No! No more hospitals. I'll go to a clinic, but not anywhere where they might try to keep me overnight."

"In that case, let's not make you walk up four flights of stairs," Ryo said. We're already on the ground floor; let's just head out, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all for getting the fuck outta here." Dee seemed to brighten up at the thought. "That was a heavy scene we just went through, and now everyone's gonna be bugging us to find out what happened. I could use a smoke too."

"Where's your jacket? Upstairs?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I got it covered." Dee produced his cell phone and hit speed dial.

"JJ Adams, please," he said. A frown appeared momentarily on Ryo's face, but was gone by the time Dee glanced back at him, asking, "You need anything from upstairs?"

Ryo shook his head. "Not if we're coming back later."

"Hey, Drake," said Dee into the phone. "How ya doin'?" There was a pause while Drake spoke. "It sucked, man," Dee continued. "Yeah, tell me about it! Listen, I need JJ. Is he with you? Cool. Put him on, okay? Later, dude."

As Dee spoke with JJ on the phone, Ryo was approached by Kerry Bristow, one of the officers he recognized from the Juvenile Division. She was an attractive brunette, originally from one of the midwestern states. She greeted him warmly and expressed sympathy over what had occurred a short time ago in the Chief's office.

"I just happened to be here because I needed to talk to Sergeant Dyer about one of my regulars," she said. "But we could hear the yelling from Lieutenant Smith's office all the way out here in the hall. It must have been awful for you." She looked at him sympathetically. Ryo's heart sank. So much for getting out of there.

"It was...pretty bad. But Dee and I have to be leaving now. We've got an appointment." He glanced over at Dee who was saying, "...and make sure my smokes don't fall out of my pocket, okay?"

Kerry leaned in closer to Ryo and dropped her voice conspiratorially. "Being accused of homosexuality is probably the last thing you needed, especially after those rumors that your whole department is gay," she said. "Of course I'm aware that a lot of your co-workers have that little problem, but I don't know how people can say that about you when everyone knows you had a girlfriend a few months back. I just wanted to let you know that you have my support." She smiled reassuringly and patted his chest.

Ryo stared and felt the hated blush heating his cheeks. But this time, it wasn't entirely embarrassment. It was partially anger.

"Kerry," he said carefully. "What's wrong with being gay? My co-workers aren't hurting anyone."

She wrinkled her little nose in confusion. "Wrong? Come on. Ew."

Just then, Dee snapped his phone closed and moved to Ryo's side. "JJ's gonna meet us in the parking lot in five minutes or probably less, knowing him."

"Oh, don't let me keep you, then," said Kerry. "I've got to get going myself. Take care, Ryo." She turned away without acknowledging Dee.

"Bye," said Ryo.

"She's one of the minor harpies over at Juvie, isn't she?" Dee watched her go. "Guess she still hates me."

There had been a bad scene over at the Juvenile Division several weeks ago, wherein Dee had loudly criticized two of their number over how they had handled a badly botched case. The fact that he had been right and not the slightest bit tactful about it had sealed his fate as persona non grata at that particular department forever.

"Yeah, but what can you do? Let's get out of here before anyone else tries to pump us for information."

JJ met them in the parking area, carrying Dee's suit jacket and a multicolored paper shopping bag with handles.

"Hi Ryo! Hello, Dee-Sempai! I didn't get a chance to talk to you this morning -- How are you feeling?"

"I'm in pain, JJ, so no hugging, got that? Ryo's taking me to a clinic, so we can't hang around. But thanks for bringing me my jacket." He reached for it eagerly and liberated his cigarettes from the inside pocket.

While Dee smoked, JJ expressed concern for Dee's injury and chattered about the Lydgate case. Ryo was listening with interest, but Dee interrupted him mid-word and said, "What's in the bag?"

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot. Some treats for you in case you didn't get a proper breakfast and that gift you asked me to pick up."

"Food! Why didn't you say so? Hand it over."

Dee rooted through the bag and pulled out a chocolate croissant with an expression of pleasure on his face.

"Thanks JJ," he said, just before taking an enormous bite.

"Dee, do you need to take your meds?" Ryo asked.

"Nope, can't," mumbled Dee around a mouthful of pastry. "Just took em an hour ago. Gotta wait."

JJ beamed at the sight of Dee enjoying the food he had brought him and Ryo felt his usual vague guilt for always regarding JJ as a nuisance. He had recently been attempting to focus on his younger co-worker's good qualities, instead of his irritating ones. JJ had, after all, done many kind and thoughtful things for Dee over the years, and Ryo felt it was only fair to give credit where it was due.

"Looks like what JJ brought you is medicine enough," said Ryo to Dee, with a smile that included JJ.

Dee nodded and took another bite. "Let's go," he mumbled thickly and got into the car on the passenger side, still chewing.

As they pulled up in front of the clinic on First Avenue, Dee handed him the multicolored bag. "You can have the other pastry," he said. "And the mug is for you. I finally replaced it." He looked satisfied with himself.

Ryo gave him a small smile. He had half-expected this as soon as JJ had mentioned that there was a gift in the bag.

"Thank you," he said politely, and put the bag in the back seat without glancing at it.

"Don't you even wanna look at it?"

"I'm sure it's very nice. JJ has excellent taste."

"Yeah, he does. That's why I thought he should pick it out, not me."

There was quite a line-up at the clinic, but Dee's NYPD status got him promoted to the head of the line. As he was being seen to, Ryo sat in the waiting room pretending to be deeply absorbed in a magazine while he ran his mind rapidly over the scene in the Chief's office.

Now that the Chief, in addition to Commissioner Rose, knew that Dee and Ryo were a couple, would things stay the same in the CI Division? Whereas the Commissioner had always been quite frank with him with regards to his bisexuality, the Chief's attitude was more of an enigma. He was clearly a heterosexual family man, but Ryo honestly didn't know if he secretly harbored any negative feelings towards homosexuals. In the years that Ryo had known him, the Chief had never made any reference to alternate sexual choices at all, either supportive or derogatory. Even following Abernathy's rant, the Chief had not spoken a word in support of homosexuality, although that had been the basis of the IA lieutenant's complaints. The Chief had readily risen to the defense of his subordinates, however, unhesitatingly putting his former colleague in his place, but it had seemed to be more a matter of defending his territory, rather than speaking out against an extremely prejudicial attitude towards sexual preference. It was almost as though the Chief had simply decided to ignore the fact that so many members of his department were 'batting for the other team'. It was actually a little strange, when Ryo thought about it, considering how annoyingly open both Dee and JJ had been about their sexual preferences all along. Sure, the Chief regularly yelled and cuffed people, but it was always for laziness or insubordination, and Ryo did have to admit that there was a distinct undercurrent of rough affection in the way the Chief related to them all. _Maybe he really doesn't mind, _he thought with wonder and a faint dawning of hope.

But what would this mean now, with regards to the rest of their team? If Rose and the Chief both knew their secret, his best reason for keeping the nature of his relationship with Dee under wraps had just been taken away. Now that they didn't have to fear having their partnership broken up, there was a good chance that Dee would want to tell their close friends at the precinct, like Drake and Ted. He felt Dee would definitely want to let JJ know, too. Ryo frowned into his magazine, asking himself what _he_ wanted. He felt that Abernathy's shouted accusations had probably been heard by enough people this morning that the news that he, Ryo MacLean, was gay, was probably being bandied all over the building. But then he reminded himself that this would not come to anyone's ears as a brand new rumor. Some would of course be willing to dismiss it, as Kerry had done. He and Dee would have to face the rumor mill when they got back -- it would be best if they were ready for it. They absolutely needed to talk beforehand.

Presently, a harried and youthful-looking doctor stepped out into the crowded waiting room and made a beeline for Ryo.

"Pardon me, sir," he said, "But are you by any chance Detective Laytner's partner?"

Ryo sighed. "Yes," he said. "Is he being difficult again?"

The doctor gave him a wry smile. "A little," he said. "I'm Dr. Stein, by the way. Nice to meet you, Mr...?"

"MacLean," supplied Ryo, shaking the man's extended hand.

"Your partner is refusing to take my advice, Mr. MacLean. I was hoping you could help me talk some sense into him. He gave me permission to come out here and fetch you. Would you come with me, please?"

"Uh, sure," said Ryo, wondering if he should start worrying.

He followed Dr. Stein into a small examining room, where Dee sat waiting on the examining table with his shirt off, a new larger bandage on his injury and a scowl that lessened somewhat at the sight of his partner.

Dr. Stein closed the door and turned to Ryo. "Detective Laytner has informed me that he has not taken any time off since being released from Bellevue on Saturday. It's my professional opinion that this man should not be at work, particularly in a physical job such as law enforcement. He has popped one of the sutures at one end of his wound. There's no blood, but the wound is seeping a little. There's an increased risk of infection, not to mention increased scarring, because we can't replace popped sutures. It is VITAL that he refrain from physical activity until this injury has had time to heal. If you have any influence over him at all, I suggest you bring it to bear in this case. Can his department not do without him for a couple of days?"

"Yes, we can," replied Ryo with a bright glare at Dee's sulky countenance. "I haven't been able to get him to stay home, though. But that's going to change as of right now, isn't it, Dee?"

"But Ryo..."

"But nothing! I told you that you needed to rest. Do you think I can't meet with Detective Greenspan without you? I can't believe you popped one of your stitches." He turned to Dr. Stein who was looking unaccountably embarrassed. "How many days do you think he should be off and can you provide me with a note for our Lieutenant?"

"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry," Dr. Stein said to Dee. "When you said your partner had brought you in, I just assumed... I didn't realize you meant your _work _ partner. I would never have discussed your medical details with your co-worker if I hadn't thought you two were..."

"It's okay, Doc," said Dee with a big grin. "This guy knows everything about me. I don't have any secrets from him."

It had suddenly dawned on Ryo what type of misapprehension Dr. Stein had been under. Had he thought they were..._married_ or something? He could feel his face getting warm. What a day this was turning out to be.

"I can certainly write you a note," Dr. Stein said, reaching for his prescription pad. I think two to three days off should suffice, but no active duty until Friday at the very least. And even then, it shouldn't be very active."

"Friday, huh?" Dee winked at Ryo. "I'm glad you said that, Doc, because I do have a little bit of mildly active duty planned for Friday."

Dr. Stein tore the note off the pad and handed it to Dee, apologizing once again.

Ryo promptly took the note away from Dee and put it in his pocket. As he did so, he suddenly came to a decision. He then turned to the doctor and took a breath. "Dr. Stein, please don't apologize," he said in a voice that miraculously didn't sound as nervous as he felt. "You were correct in your assumption about our relationship. Detective Laytner and I are partners on a personal as well as a work level. I'm glad you shared this information with me, because now I can do my best to make sure he gets the rest he needs."

Dr. Stein smiled gratefully at them and thanked Ryo for telling him. "I feel better now," he said. "But I'll be more careful in the future. I'll leave you to get dressed, Detective."

The door closed behind him, leaving the two detectives briefly alone. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, and Ryo was surprised to see that Dee's face was almost as flushed as his own face felt.

"Baby," Dee said softly, with wonder in his eyes.

Ryo felt embarrassed. "Just because I said it to him, doesn't mean I'm ready to tell the world, you know," he said defensively.

Dee smiled at him and got carefully down from the table. "Whatever. It means a lot to me that you said it to him. Pass me my shirt, would you? It's on the chair behind you."

When Ryo turned to get the shirt, Dee moved up close behind him and wrapped his arms around his lover's body. All the tension that had been building up in Ryo immediately left him at Dee's touch.

"It's okay, baby," Dee whispered. "Don't worry. It's all gonna turn out okay."

"How can you know that?" Ryo allowed himself to relax against Dee's warm, strong body. "Right now, all our co-workers are gossiping about us."

"Yeah," said Dee. "They are. But trust me, they're way more interested in the fact that Abernathy is from Internal Affairs than they are in any gay accusations, which are old news anyway.**"**

Ryo realized Dee was right and it cheered him up a little. Then he was appalled with himself for being happier that all his co-workers thought he might be under the investigation of IA for some wrongdoing than that he might simply be gay. But of course it wasn't _simple_ to be gay. How had Dee ever opened his mouth that first time, and all of the ensuing times and let people know he was bisexual? Ryo couldn't fathom it, unless maybe it had something to do with bisexuality receiving a slightly less hostile reaction than homosexuality. He just couldn't imagine himself announcing anything of the sort to his co-workers or friends.

"Dee, I'm sorry," he said.

"What for?" Dee was pressing slow, affectionate kisses on his shoulders, through his shirt.

"For not being as strong as you."

Ryo could feel Dee's body shaking with mirth against his back. "What's so funny?"

"Ryo my love, my adorable dork...Don't you know you're ten times stronger than me? I'm just noise and mouth and fists. You're the real deal, baby."

Ryo twisted around in Dee's arms and thrust his shirt at him. "I'm sure they want this room," he said quickly. "So, put your clothes on and let's get going." He couldn't imagine why Dee thought he was so strong. He sure didn't feel that way. He hadn't for quite a long time, truth be told. But he certainly wasn't about to show it.

"Kiss me, first."

"Oh all right." Ryo leaned in and quickly pecked his partner on the cheek, figuring it was better to capitulate than to spend the next five minutes arguing about it.

"Oh no you don't." Dee caught hold of him just as he was drawing back and yanked him close again.

Ryo's protest was quickly stilled by a pair of very determined and skilled lips, working in concert with a creatively applied tongue. In addition to that pleasure, there was also a hint of a chocolate pastry taste still in Dee's mouth. At first Ryo tried not to respond in the hopes that Dee would give up and let him go. But as usual, that strategy was a dismal failure. Dee just redoubled his efforts, and in fact backed Ryo up against the examining table. Ryo's arms went around Dee and as his hands made contact with the naked skin of Dee's back and chest, his body went into foreplay mode, quite without his permission. Against his better judgment, he began returning the kiss in earnest and was only recalled to an awareness of his surroundings by a sharp knock on the door.

"Almost done in there?" called a female voice, no doubt one of the nurses.

"I need another minute," Dee replied, but he let go of the now struggling Ryo. His partner was glaring at him, but the embers of desire still burned in his eyes.

"You are such a bastard," grumbled Ryo, looking down with dismay at where his semi-hard penis bulged in the front of his pants.

"Yeah, I am," Dee agreed, quickly buttoning his shirt and smiling wickedly at him. "But it's your fault for being so fucking sexy."

&&&&&&&&&&

"No really, I'm fine. It's just one train and a few stops from here. I'll be home in no time. Trust me, babe."

"Dee, I'm so sorry...Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Ryo, don't be late for Tina. She'll just lord it over you and expect you to kiss her ass if you are. Go on, now. Call me at some point, okay?"

"Okay." Ryo glanced at his watch at then back at Dee. His sixth sense was warning him that something was awry, yet logically, he couldn't put his finger on what it might be. What was he worried about? Did he think Dee wouldn't go home? Of course he would. He could play video games, order pizza, nap and watch TV. Left to himself, Dee was by no means a workaholic. "I'll call you, Dee. Take your meds on schedule, okay?"

"You got it bro. Now get going. Traffic's backing up behind you."

Ryo glanced at the rear-view mirror. Dee was right, dammit -- it was. He nodded at his partner, called out a final goodbye, and then sped off in the direction of Queens.

Dee watched him go, and then crossed the street. He had no intention of going home just yet. He was going to pay Detective Shaver a surprise visit at home. That bastard was up to something and they couldn't afford to lose him now. Sure Ryo would be pissed, but he would probably thank him later.

&&&&&&&&&&

End of chapter 28


	29. Chapter 29

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_**Chapter 29**_

_Pairing: _ Dee/Ryo

_Fandom:_ FAKE

_Rating: _ Worksafe, except for the swearing, which is pretty bad. No kissing or loveydovey jackrabbit behavior this time.

_Spoilers: _ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

_Summary: _ Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer: _I do not own FAKE or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh (Tina Greenspan, Mike Abernathy, Ned Shaver and Essien Ibo are mine, however). No one gives me money or even chocolate to write this story.

_Author's notes: _ Please read and review.

_Thank you_ to Mtemplar.

**A New Day**

_Chapter 29_

Ryo arrived at Bam's a couple of minutes early, but Detective Greenspan was there already. She was looking even prettier than she had yesterday. Her hair was twisted up in an attractive updo that allowed soft tendrils to hang on either side of her face. She was wearing a quantity of silver jewelry, a moss-green pantsuit and high-heeled open-toed shoes. Ryo hoped she wouldn't find herself in a situation where she had to run after a suspect. He began to wonder how long she had been in law enforcement.

"Detective MacLean! It's so very nice to see you again." She really did look delighted to see him, and Ryo was a bit taken aback when she impulsively clasped both of his hands and gave them a squeeze. "Where's Detective Laytner today?"

He mumbled something about how Dee hadn't been feeling well and had therefore gone home. Although Detective Greenspan seemed to be making sympathetic noises --"Oh that poor man. You must be so worried about him..." -- Ryo was somewhat nonplussed by how much more cheerful she looked after hearing the news.

"Listen, Detective..." she said, seeming suddenly shy. "I have been feeling absolutely horrible about how we ended things yesterday. I've been so **very**angry with myself for springing that news on you about your son the way I did...I hope you can forgive me?"

From the limpid way she was looking into his eyes, Ryo began to get a sneaking suspicion that Dee had been right. Could it be that this beautiful woman was actually attracted to him? Now that was a complication he really didn't need at the moment. If she had come along earlier... before he had known what he truly wanted… But then he reminded himself that Meredith had come along earlier and what a mess that had turned into. He pushed away the familiar pang of guilt that always caught at his insides whenever he thought of her. No, he definitely didn't need any more romantic complications of the feminine variety in his life ever again. Detective Greenspan was indisputably gorgeous, but no one was more important to him than Dee. And no one Ryo could think of had it over Dee in the looks department, either. He hoped that if he continued to keep everything on a professional level between the Queens Detective and himself, and didn't offer any response to her overtures, she would get the message without either one of them having to suffer any embarrassment.

"I was angry yesterday," he told her frankly, "But I understand that you have to do your job. I just hope we can work together with a little more trust in the future."

"I'd like that too," she murmured, peeping up at him demurely.

"However, I am still very concerned about the fact that one of my son's, ah, 'friends' has been murdered, as you may imagine. Are you a parent, Detective Greenspan?"

"Me? Goodness no, I'm not even remotely close to being married!" Her laugh was girlish and musical. "But I have a little niece that I just adore to pieces and I feel fiercely protective of her, so I truly do understand your reaction yesterday. And if possible, I'd like to make it up to you by taking you out for lunch today...that is, if you have---" She was interrupted by a loud voice that issued from behind her.

"Miss Detective Greenspell! It's past eleven o'clock! Are you going to come inside, or what?" A gap-toothed, white-haired man of about sixty stood in the doorway of the coffee shop next door to Bam's.

"Greenspan, Mr. Oliver," she said to him, gently but firmly, and quickly checked her watch. "We'll certainly be joining you inside."

"That's good because we got a young feller in here who don't believe that a purty young lady's gonna buy me a coffee. Here she is, Jack. But don't you be giving this one none of your impudence -- she don't look like it, but she's a cop! Got a gun on her somewheres--" Mr. Oliver studied Detective Greenspan's body as if to try to determine where, under her tight-fitting outfit, it would have been possible to conceal a gun. Ryo tried not to smile. He had been rather curious about that himself.

"-- and I don't doubt she knows how to use it! Isn't that right, missy?"

"Mr. Oliver, which one is your table?" Detective Greenspan rewarded his essay into humor with a bright, but brittle smile.

"Why, this one right here, best one in the house, right by the win--"

"Thank you, let's sit down and begin our meeting. We don't have much time. This is Detective MacLean from the 27th Precinct in Manhattan. He's working with me on this case."

"Nice to meet you, son." Mr. Oliver stuck out his hand and Ryo shook it. The man's grip felt sturdy and his skin was a little rough. This was a man who had worked all his life, and probably with his hands for most of that time. Ryo hoped he hadn't sunk his life savings into Bam's.

"I'm very sorry about what happened in your restaurant, sir. A dead body in your kitchen can hardly be good for business."

"Well, whoever killed that youngster in my kitchen just as surely killed my business as dead as roadkill on the interstate. It ain't covered by insurance, neither. Who ever heard of such a thing? You know, back in League City, Texas, which is where I'm from, we hear about the crime of the big cities, but somehow I just never imagined it would happen to me!"

"I understand," said Ryo, nodding sympathetically. It was true. He did. No one ever expected it to happen to them.

"You know, I was able to buy this business for a steal of a deal. Previous owner wanted to retire, go play golf and such. I owned a similar restaurant for ten years in League. Thought I knew a thing or two about the industry. If I'd a-had any idea how complicated it is to run a restaurant business in the Big Apple, I'd a-turned around and gone back home on the very first day." Mr. Oliver sighed and shook his head. "In fact--"

"It's never easy running a business, Mr. Oliver," Detective Greenspan interrupted him briskly. "Now, if you wouldn't mind telling us about the body in your kitchen one more time for the benefit of--"

"What, again?" Mr. Oliver looked exasperated. "Look here, you're a sweet little lady and all, but how many damn times do you people want to hear that same story? I coulda sworn y'all wrote it down the first time I told it to ya. Didn't you write a report about it?"

Ryo held up a hand. "That's all right, Mr. Oliver. You don't have to tell us again if you'd rather not. But I'd be very interested to hear what kind of problems you've encountered trying to run a business here in New York."

Mr. Oliver's face lit up as Detective Greenspan's face fell. But before any more could be said, Jack, their tattooed young waiter, was at their table with a coffee carafe. "Coffee for everyone?" he enquired, winking at Mr. Oliver.

Please," said Ryo, turning over the cup from where it rested on its saucer at his place setting. He felt Detective Greenspan's fingertips press briefly but meaningfully against his arm as Jack filled the coffee cups. He knew what she was trying to tell him, but he pretended not to understand. It wouldn't hurt to let the old man go on about his troubles for a bit, and one never knew when a lead might come out of such a conversation.

"I like you, boy. You can call me Del. You too, Miss Detective."

Ryo grinned at him. "You can call me, Randy, sir."

"May _**I**_ call you Randy?" interjected Detective Greenspan determinedly.

"Er...um, sure," said Ryo with a faint smile.

"And please call me Tina. It's so much more comfortable to be friendly, don't you agree?"

Ryo made some vague noise of assent, before looking encouragingly at Mr. Oliver, who then launched into a lengthy description of his woes.

Number one on his list of complaints was the high cost of maintaining the walk-in freezer. "That thing sucks up electricity twenty-four seven!" he spluttered. "It's clapped out and inefficient. What the hell do I need a freezer so large for? I had one in Twist, my old restaurant back home, but it ran a lot better 'n this one."

Detective Greenspan interrupted him. "Speaking of the freezer, can you tell me again about the position of the body--"

"No ma'am. Your confederate here already told me I don't have to tell that same old story again, and I took him up on his offer. I'm very sorry to be so disobliging, however." He nodded respectfully at her, but there was more than a suggestion of mischief in his eyes as he turned back to Ryo. "If you're still interested, Randy, I got more to say."

At Ryo's nod, Mr. Oliver went on to express dissatisfaction about the difficulty of hiring and keeping reliable staff. "That Mr. Reynolds, guy who owned this place afore me, assured me that his best lunchtime line cook and also the kitchen helper wanted to stay, but I ain't seen either of them in weeks!" He went on to animadvert against his 'good for nothing' son and his only slightly less good for nothing cousin whom the family had shipped up from Florida to help him. "Boy only shows up for work when he feels like it -- every day it's a new excuse. And my nephew? Oh Lord. Works well enough when he's here, but eats up all the profits. Every time I look at him, he's chewing! Now that's a feller who shouldn't be working in the food industry."

From the amount of fidgeting that was going on beside him, Ryo could hardly fail to be aware that Detective Greenspan was growing impatient. She alternately drummed her nails on the table, stared out the window, heaved sad little sighs, and checked her wristwatch. She had indicated that she wanted to have a nice lunch with him, and while he felt slightly guilty about it, he most assuredly didn't want to have lunch with her. He wanted to get back to the station and get his paperwork and phone calls done so that he could get out of the office at something close to the end of his shift, and then rush home to be with Dee. Maybe some perverse part of his nature, or perhaps, just an instinct of self-preservation, had led him to invite Mr. Oliver to tell him all about his business. He wanted to make sure that this interview left no time for lunch. Mr. Oliver was saying something about City Hall. "Pardon me, sir?" Ryo asked. "Did you say they wouldn't give you a liquor license?"

"Damn straight they wouldn't! Buncha mumbo-jumbo regulations they quoted me. In the end I think that what it came down to was the fact that I hadn't greased the right palms." He looked back and forth between the photogenic faces of the youthful pair of detectives at his table, and wagged a finger at them. "You two fine young people may be surprised to hear that such a semi-legal form of corruption exists in your fair city, but what you're hearing today is the honest account of an outsider with nothing to gain by speaking the truth. And speaking of greasing palms, that brings me to my next problem..."

"Mr. Oliver!" Detective Greenspan was obviously nearing the end of her rope. "While I certainly do have sympathy for all the terrible things you've been through, criminals throughout the city are not suspending their activities merely because the three of us wish to enjoy a companionable chat over coffee. Detective MacLean and I have work to do and cases to solve, and this being so, we are going to have to leave in a very short time." She looked at her watch for the eleventh or twelfth time. "Detective MacLean, do you have any last questions for Mr. Oliver?" Her glossy lips parted, and she give him a long, unblinking look that promised untold pleasures if he cooperated and unspecified levels of displeasure if he thwarted her.

Ryo thought of Dee and how he would be handling this situation if he were here, and found himself barely able to conceal the smile that had sprung unbidden into his eyes.

"Well, um, yes, I do," he said softly. "Mr. Oliver, could you please tell me about any and all palms that expected you to grease them and what you did about it?"

&&&&&&

Ryo entered the CI room to see James, Drake, Ted, Sheldon and Eliza engaged in various activities.

"Oh look," announced James. "One of the 'Predatory Popinjays' has returned." The rest of the team howled with laughter.

"And how do we know he's a Predatory Popinjay?" Ted asked gleefully, jumping up and putting his arm around Ryo's shoulders. Ryo blinked at them, looking slightly embarrassed.

"On Friday, I saw him carrying a balloon that said 'Kiss Me'," Eliza volunteered.

"Anyone else?"

"It's in the eyes," James said with mock seriousness. "Those are the eyes of a predator. They're good at looking all innocent like that."

"Nah, you guys only got the 'predatory' half of it," Ted said dismissively. "We know he's a Predatory _Popinjay_ because of the quality of his wardrobe, that's how!" He picked up the tail of his hapless co-worker's tie and turned it around to display the label to the room. "Armani! And I bet his shoes have leather soles, too. Furthermore, he smells--" Ted sniffed Ryo ostentatiously "--like expensive cologne, not 'Old Spice', like me."

"And therein lies the reason why you can't get a date," remarked Eliza. "Aw, Ryo honey, we're just teasing. You know we love you. What the hell's going on with the IA guy who hates you?"

"Well, the short story is that he's an old crony of the Chief's whose kid ran away from home, so Chief sent Dee and me to find him. In the process, we learned that the guy beats the crap out of his son, and now his son likes us because we were nice to him. So his father is feeling kind of resentful and thinks we undermined his authority or something."

"That's shitty luck that you guys got an enemy in IA," Sheldon said. "Good thing you got a squeaky-clean record, eh Ryo?"

"Well, don't forget that Dee doesn't," said Drake. He looked a bit more worried than the others.

"He seems to hate me slightly more than Dee," Ryo told them. "It could be because we're both dads. Or maybe he just hates my clothes. Ted, quit sniffing me!" he added.

"Sorry, man. Hey, I heard the Chief gave him what-for!" Ted looked exuberant. "I wish I could have heard it! I got it second-hand from Janet."

A voice came from the door. "That IA lieutenant seems to think you and Dee-Sempai are in a homosexual relationship."

It was JJ. His eyes were hard on Ryo and he wasn't smiling.

"Come on, dude, have you forgotten we're all gay?" James called out, and everyone burst out laughing again.

"Hey, not me!" Eliza protested.

"Yeah, you! I've been telling everyone that you're a man in drag," said Ted, and ducked, grinning, as she threw a pen at him.

"Hey listen, guys. This 'gay' thing is really working for me," said James excitedly. "I got a date on Saturday night on the strength of it."

"With a woman?" Drake looked skeptical.

"Screw you, Parker! Yes, with a woman. She's helping me combat the rumors that I'm a member of the pink patrol."

"Do tell," said Ted, looking interested. "D'you think that would work for me?"

"Probably, if you do a total personality makeover..."

"And lose the Old Spice," Eliza added.

To Ryo's relief, they continued in that vein for some time, and the question of whether he and Dee were involved in a relationship seemed to have been successfully skated over.

He went to his office and sat down at the computer to type out his notes from the meeting he had had earlier with Detective Tina Greenspan and Mr. Delbert Oliver, the somewhat garrulous owner of Bam's. The meeting had been an interesting one and had yielded a promising lead that Detective Greenspan had missed out on due to having stomped off to the powder room at that particular point in time. It seemed that Mr. Oliver's fledgling business had been shaken down a few weeks prior by three young men who had wanted a thousand dollars a month in protection money. They had claimed to be representing an organization that called itself the 'something-Devils,' Mr. Oliver having been regrettably unable to recall the exact name. Off the top of his head, Ryo could think of several gangs operating in the various boroughs of New York City with the word 'devils', or one of its derivatives, in their name. This was a piece of information he would need to run by the other members of the CI Division. Marty, who was especially knowledgeable about all the gangs in the five boroughs, was the main person he wanted to talk to. His youngest brother had once been a member of the Diamond Bruisers, a notorious syndicate, now thankfully defunct, in the Bronx. If there was a new gang in Queens, Marty would know about it. But, according to Eliza, Marty had gone out on a call with Officer Bristow and her partner. Ryo would just have to wait for him to come back.

Ryo closed the file on Bam's and put it away. Tonight he would have to talk to Bikky, Carol and Carol's aunt Elina about getting statements from the two teens regarding their part in what had happened to Eddie. Detective Greenspan wanted him to bring them to the 99th so that she could take their statements, but he had been non-committal. He had every intention of making her come to the 27th. Bikky and Carol both went to school in Manhattan, and it would be easier for everyone if he didn't have to pick them up from school and drive them over to Queens during rush hour. At the thought of...Tina, as she'd insisted he call her, he sighed and dropped his pencil. He wished that she would stop trying to capture his interest. He wasn't naturally flirtatious like Dee, and he didn't really know how to deal with the expectations of women and, surprisingly, men, who wanted him. Whenever someone started that kind of behavior with him, his instinct had always been to retreat into a shell of slightly formal conventionality-- and try not to blush too much, of course. It usually served to discourage women. So far, he was pretty sure that it was mostly discouraging the Commissioner, too. But there was one person it had never worked on, however. Dee had been the only one who had ever thought to climb into that shell after him and drag him out again, kicking and screaming. The mental imagery produced by this thought made him smile. Could there be anyone else like Dee on the whole planet? Ryo didn't think so. He found he suddenly wanted to hear the sound of Dee's voice. It was a little strange working in this office without him. He reached for the phone, a quick smile coming readily to his lips, only to hesitate a second later and let his hand fall. What if Dee was sleeping? That was probably exactly what he was doing. He would have taken his next round of pain-killing medication at shortly after twelve, and that would have made him sleepy. It would be best not to wake him up. He sighed and called down to the front desk for his messages instead.

&&&&&&&&&&

Dee banged on the door a second time, as the first time had yielded no response. "I know you're in there, Detective," he called out. "C'mon, I just wanna talk." He paused, listening for a response. He thought he heard a faint creaking sound, but he couldn't be sure that it had come from Detective Shaver's apartment. This was a pretty noisy building. It sounded like the walls were made of particle-board or maybe something even thinner. A phone rang nearby and a man's voice could be heard laughing somewhere down the hall. It sounded like Shaver's next-door neighbor was watching Bugs Bunny on TV, unless that was Shaver, which Dee doubted. He couldn't imagine that sourpuss engaged in any activity that might require smiling.

"You want me to go flash my badge at the manager? Bet he'll let me in."

The door abruptly opened and Ned Shaver stood there, scowling. "Keep it down, for fuck's sake. What the hell are you doing here?" He stood aside and Dee, taking that as an invitation to enter, stepped through the door and into the cheerless little apartment. His keen eyes had taken in every detail of the man's battered and disheveled appearance, including the fact that he held a 9mm pistol loosely in his right hand, and another gun lay on the coffee table with a couple of clips next to it.

"Expecting company?"

"Can't be too careful in this neighborhood," Shaver muttered, not quite meeting Dee's eye. He turned away and opened a cabinet in what Dee presumed was the kitchen area of what had to be the smallest and most depressing bachelor apartment he had ever been inside in his life. "I'd offer you coffee, but I don't fucking have any. I got water and... Kool-aid."

"I'm good," said Dee. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Go for it." Unsmiling, Ned indicated the sofa, but Dee seated himself on an old wooden chair instead.

"Who got you?" Dee asked. He could tell from Shaver's stiff movements that the man was probably bruised all over his body.

"A bust put up a fight, that's all. I took a tumble."

"Don't gimme that crap. Was it the Devils, the Stone Bloods, or something to do with Abernathy?"

Fuck. The Bronx detective turned back to the sink and filled a large mug with water. He wasn't sure if it would be in his best interests to tell Detective Laytner what had happened, but he felt the stirrings of temptation. After all, he hadn't been able to talk to anybody about this crap for so long. The pain of it, the bitter injustice, festered away inside him all the time, and there had been no one he could go to for advice. After a few moments of silence, during which Laytner waited expectantly, Shaver finally decided that it couldn't hurt to tell him a little. Not everything, of course, but just enough to get some of the poison out of his gut.

"The Devils. Fucking sons of bitches."

"You still in with the Stone Bloods?"

"We're off the record here, right?"

"Right. But I still need a statement from you, the sooner the better."

"Terms?"

Dee hesitated. _Play him,_ the Commissioner had said. Somehow, he just couldn't do that. It was one thing to use half-truths to trick a suspect into making a confession, but if this was going to turn into a potential long-term investigation, there had to be a certain amount of trust on both sides. Their lives might depend on it someday. "We're still working on a deal. We're think there's a real good chance we can keep you out of jail."

"A real good...chance? A fucking _chance_? What the hell is this?" Shaver felt himself go cold, and it wasn't from the tap water he had been drinking.

"Hey, come on now. Nothing's written in stone at this point. If you give us something good enough, we can get you immunity."

"Detective, I told you I was not prepared to do a day in jail. You can forget about getting any cooperation from me, if that's where this is headed. I gotta think about survival, and if taking the high road means getting hung out to dry, then I really can't be throwing in my lot with the police. Did you even talk to the Commissioner like you said you were going to?"

"Look, the Commissioner's thinking about the public image of the NYPD and how what looks like a fairly widespread case of police corruption is going to affect funding. He's acting almost like he fucking wishes we'd never stumbled upon this. On the other hand, he doesn't want it to blow up down the road, particularly on his watch. I'm sure when he thinks about it a little more, he'll realize the benefits of us having a guy who's got an 'in' to Abernathy's twisted little operation. You gotta give us something good, do you understand? You gotta make yourself indispensable to this case. Right now, you don't have any bargaining chips." Dee was doing his best, but Shaver looked unconvinced.

"Lemme remind you, Detective, that the guy with no bargaining chips is actually you. Calvetti's gone from this world, and in practical terms, you ain't got shit on me. No witnesses, no warrant. Nothing but a bunch of off-the-record crap that you can't use. And if you put a tail on me today, it's kinda like closing the barn door after the horse has gone. Mike knows I'm too hot to touch right now; so do my other...associates. Even the Devils know, though they still seemed to feel it was necessary to half-kill me on Saturday night."

"What exactly do you expect?" Dee leaned forward and rested his elbows on his spread knees.

"Like I told you in the bar, standard deal for informants in high profile cases. Immunity from prosecution in exchange for my cooperation with your investigation. Through me, you can nail Abernathy and the other guys he's dealing with. You said you wanted me to wear a wire. Okay, I will. And I'm willing to compromise on testifying. I want out of the NYPD when it's all over, but quietly-like, not drummed out. No criminal record. But you fucking come here talking about jail when you know as well as I do what my life is worth if I go to the joint? You know what? I got a lotta shit on a lotta people. From an investigative point of view, I'm a fucking gold mine. But why should I take the road that leads to a sure death in prison when I got nothing to lose by keeping my mouth shut?"

Dee sat silently for a moment, wishing that Commissioner Rose was on another planet presiding over a police force of aliens, because that fucking bastard sure seemed to be better fitted for managing matters of alternate reality than real life cops who were laying their lives on the line in New York City every damn day. Yes, he could understand why the man wanted Shaver to go to jail. The Bronx detective had done a number of reprehensible and patently illegal things, all ostensibly under the aegis of the NYPD. Why should he get away with it? It wasn't right. But on the other hand, he was the key to bringing down a much larger threat. Dee could just imagine the damage that Abernathy and his team of currently unknown dirty cops did to the credibility of the NYPD in an average week. Abernathy's position as an investigating lieutenant in Internal Affairs gave him a unique platform from which to recruit new underlings, guys who were desperate for a way out of whatever trouble they'd gotten themselves into. Only they didn't realize how much worse their new troubles were going to be once Abernathy put them to work. Thereafter, he was always holding his knowledge of their crimes above their heads like the sword of Damocles, ready to feed them to the sharks at any time if they displeased him. It went against the grain, but Dee believed that sometimes it was necessary to cut the minor bad guys some slack if you wanted a shot at taking out someone higher on the food chain. Abernathy was a far greater threat than Shaver would ever be, and this was one of those cases where he felt it was worth handing the guy a break. But unfortunately, the Commissioner seemed to think he could have his cake and eat it too. It had obviously been a long time since he had done any front-line work.

"I hear ya," said Dee, "and I really think we can get you what you need. It totally makes sense to me and my partner, even our lieutenant."

"But not the Commissioner." Shaver's voice was hostile.

"He's not dead-set against a deal, he's just behaving like the brass always do, trying to get as much as possible for as little as possible."

"Like everybody," Shaver said morosely. "But not me. I know you think I'm a piece of shit, but I'll deal fair with you if you do the same with me."

Dee nodded. "Okay," he said. He did not deny the part about Shaver being a piece of shit. However, he did think it was a strange thing for the man to say. Perhaps it represented an opening. "Hey," he said, trying his luck. "You seem like a regular guy. How the hell did this happen to you?"

"I suppose you think this couldn't happen to _you_," Shaver growled, thrusting his chin out belligerently.

"Well, yeah, I guess every cop thinks that. Until it happens to him, that is." Dee's face assumed a thoughtful expression and he looked at Shaver as though hoping he might elaborate.

Shaver did not disappoint him. "Yeah, that's what I thought too. Even after the first couple of offers. Thought I was fucking untouchable."

"How'd they get you?"

"First off, they got me out of a jam, saved my cojones big time, which got me feeling grateful and almost...beholden. Of course they probably set me up in the first place, but I didn't think of that at the time. But one good turn deserves another, you know? And I don't like to be in anyone's debt. I figured that if I bided my time, I could find an above-board way to return the favor. But my partner and I started working a real tough case around that time, and Ibo provided us with the information that helped us nail it. We both got commendations, Roy and me. And I still didn't see anything wrong. It was like having a standard relationship with an informant, only this informant had a pretty high up position in the local crime scene. He was basically using us to cut the legs out from under his enemies, but we were scoring busts so we didn't care. It was good for both sides for a while."

"Ibo?" Dee asked. "Essien Ibo?"

"Yeah," said Shaver. "You had any dealings with him?"

"Nah," said Dee. "Even when we were based in the Bronx, our territory was still Manhattan. I don't get over to Brooklyn much. But I've heard of him. The Stone Bloods are a little bigger than they used to be."

"Yeah, they are, and that had a lot to do with me," growled Shaver. "Fucking ungrateful cocksuckers."

"So, how did they hook you?"

Shaver sighed and rubbed a hand through his short, slightly stubbly hair, but stopped, wincing, when he evidently touched a sore spot on his scalp that he had forgotten about.

"The usual way, I suppose. I was having financial problems. My sister got cancer and needed treatments, but a huge chunk of my salary was and still is going toward child support. Things were really tight for a while there. And the only one who seemed to give a shit was Ibo. He was smart enough not to start with cash, though. He sent round gifts. A bottle of good scotch here, a box of Cuban cigars there. He gave me the use of a Cadillac when my mom and my sis came to visit for a week. Said I could keep it longer, but I declined. Next was a Playstation for my kid. Baseball tickets, concert tickets, real good seats. How could I say no? All small things, but they added up."

Dee nodded, fascinated. "Yeah," he said. "I could see that happening to anybody. Did Ibo set you against the Devils?"

"You bet he did. It took them a while to catch on, so they kinda came late to the party. They made me a couple of offers, too, but I was still mostly a good boy then. I said no. I had a friendly relationship going with Ibo and his gang, and I didn't think it would be good for my health to play both sides of the fence." He shook his head ruefully and sighed. "I don't know if you've met Ibo or not, but although he's a snake, he's a very charming snake when he wants to be. He was always friendly, always...respectful. I guess he made me feel important. I was such a fucking idiot." He took a swig of his water, wishing it was something stronger. "Finally the day came when Ibo asked me for something. Something small. Wanted me to run some license plates and give him some names. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I did. But then the guys those plates were registered to started turning up dead. They were all crooks in the drug trade, so I can't say I really gave a shit about them, but that's when I knew I'd turned a corner. It was the work of a couple of minutes. I couldn't think of a reason to say no. And look where it fucking got me."

"That's shitty luck, man." Dee tried to sound sympathetic. "How about your partner? Was he in it with you?"

As he had in the bar the other night, Shaver immediately clammed up. He got up and went to the sink, where he ran the water for a long time. Dee waited, hoping he would be able to get more information.

Finally, when Shaver had refilled his mug and splashed some water on his face and neck, he came back to the sofa and sat down, looking at Dee, with the water running down his face like tears. "No," he said. "Roy was a straight arrow. He figured it out-- I was on Ibo's payroll by then-- and disapproved. He gave me a month to wrap things up with the Stone Bloods, or he was gonna turn me in. Fuck, I wish he had."

Dee didn't speak. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming next.

"I... God help me, I confided my problem to the gang. They said they'd take care of it, that they'd put a real good scare into him..." His voice trailed away and the water in his mug began dancing as a tremor took the power from his hands. He quickly set the cup down and knotted his fingers together across his midsection.

"They killed him, didn't they?" Dee asked softly. It wasn't really a question, even though it sounded like one.

Shaver nodded tensely, his expression anguished. He appeared to be holding his breath.

"And they involved you, didn't they?"

A tiny, trembling flutter of air, almost like a gasp, escaped Shaver's lips for a second before he went back to holding his breath. His eyes were tightly shut and his color didn't look so good. It made the bruises stand out even more starkly on his face than they had before.

"Come on, man, you gotta breathe. Have some of your water."

Shaver bolted out of his seat and went back to the sink, where he once again ran water and splashed it all over himself. It seemed like about five minutes before he returned to the sofa, appearing somewhat more composed, if soaking wet.

"Roy Bannerman was a family man. Had three teenaged daughters," he said in a low, hollow-sounding voice. "One of 'em was quite a pretty little thing. All the gang would have had to do was threaten his family, and he would have packed them all up and transferred the hell out of the NYPD." Shaver picked up his mug and twisted it around and around in his beefy hands. "They wouldn't have had to DO anything, just say it. The suggestion would've been enough. Those shitheads told me I should get out of the warehouse once they had him in place and they would talk to him." His voice rose indignantly on the last sentence, only to crack on the next one. "But the bastards talked with their guns. Fucking shot...shot him to pieces. Roy wasn't my favorite person, you understand, but he didn't deserve that. His blood is on my hands. I think about that poor SOB all the time. He was a regular Joe, just like me. He died hard, and it's my fault."

Shaver stared out the window for a moment, looking like such a lost soul, that Dee couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. However, he felt far sorrier for Roy Bannerman and his bereaved wife and daughters. Sometimes it really sucked to be a cop.

"That's a heavy load you've been carrying," he said quietly to the other man, and offered him a cigarette.

Shaver nodded and accepted it. Dee lit it for him, and then lit one for himself.

Shaver took a deep drag, sucking the smoke thankfully into his lungs. "It got worse after that," he continued, blowing out the smoke into the short distance between himself and Dee. "They paid less and wanted more. And then Mike got his hooks into me. You know the rest."

"What was this beating for?" Dee indicated Shaver's face and arms. Judging by the stiff way the guy was walking, he was bruised all over.

"The Devils are trying to convince me to stop helping the Bloods. And now Mike wants me to do the same thing: abandon the Bloods and switch over to the Devils."

Dee looked sharply at him. "Abernathy's with the Devils?"

"There's a lot you don't yet know about Abernathy," Shaver said and tapped his ashes onto a cracked saucer on the coffee table. "Tell that to your pal the Commissioner."

Suddenly, he sat up straighter and cocked his head, his whole body alert. The sound of heavy boots could be heard tramping up the stairs at the end of the hall.

"Fuck!" he hissed. "Get in the shitter now! If they find you here, we're both dead!"

"What the--?" Dee had drawn his weapon the minute he saw Shaver snatch up one of his handguns.

"No time!" The normally noisy apartment building seemed to have fallen silent as the sound of several pairs of heavily-shod feet came stamping inexorably down the corridor toward them.

Shit-kicking boots, Dee thought, feeling like a rat trapped in a hole. His injury was burning, and he hoped it wouldn't come to a fight. What the hell? He shouldn't be allowing himself to catch some of Shaver's obvious fear. The man had never struck him as a coward, though, whatever else he might think of him. If he was scared, there must really be something to be scared about. As the footfalls stopped in front of his door, Shaver propelled Dee into the bathroom with an urgent look of warning and a finger to his lips.

"Open up, Shaver, you motherfucker!" shouted a deep male voice.

"Is that you, Ibo?"

"No it's Princess fucking Diana back from the dead. Open this fucking door."

Dee heard them file in. He couldn't be sure, but it sounded as though there were at least three of them, possibly four. The wall he was listening at shook as someone was slammed against it, most likely Shaver.

"Tell me," Ibo's voice continued. "Give me one good reason why I should waste my time on a fucking useless piece of dogshit like you. First you call me crying because the Devils caught you snoozing and laid a beating on you. Then you fail--" the wall shook again as Shaver was presumably re-slammed against it-- "You fail to show up at a very important meeting it took me weeks to set up! And after that, you have the TEMERITY to decline to answer my phone calls! You have ten fucking seconds to explain yourself before Jimmy fucks you over like you've never been fucked before."

Low, ugly laughter issued from the henchmen. Dee felt surprised that a low-life gang leader like Essien Ibo used words like 'temerity' and 'decline'. Shaver could be heard clearing his throat.

"I'm already fucked over, man. Look at me. I couldn't get off the sofa until today. Still pissin' blood."

"That's no excuse for not answering your goddamned phone!" They smashed Shaver against the wall again, and this time he made a retching sound.

"Boss, I don't think he's lying. Look at the poor sap. The Devils sure did a number on him."

Shaver muttered something that sounded like it came from lower down the wall. Dee didn't catch what it was, but it made them angry. Essien Ibo raised his voice and released a stream of invective that made no secret of his low opinion of the abilities, intelligence, forebears and general worth of Detective Shaver. The Bronx detective was bounced against the wall several more times, and by the sounds of it, against the opposite wall too.

There was suddenly a loud banging noise against the inside structural wall of the bathroom, accompanied by angry shouting. To his horror, Dee realized that the next-door neighbor was protesting about the noise coming from Shaver's apartment. Fuck, if that didn't stop, Ibo's men would be in the bathroom in a minute! Maybe they hadn't heard. He held his breath.

But his heart sank as he heard one of them say, "Hey, what the hell was that?" Another one responded with, "What?" and the first one said, "That noise in the john." His voice was now just outside the bathroom door. "You got someone stashed in the crapper, man? I'm gonna check it out."

Heart pounding, Dee pointed his gun at the door and braced himself. The only person who knew he was here was Andrea, as she had been the one to provide him with Shaver's address, but she had no reason to believe he might be in danger. He wished he had told Ryo where he was going today. Sure would be nice to know there was perhaps back-up on the way.

He wondered how many of them he would be able to shoot before they got him.

&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 29

Additional author's notes: And I strike again with an eeeeevil cliffy! But if you really want to know what happens next, you can go to my LJ page, where Chapter 30 is already up…I'm just sayin'.


	30. Chapter 30

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_**chapter 30**_

_Pairing: _ Dee/Ryo

_Fandom:_ FAKE

_Rating:_ It's mature, or teen because I took 80 percent of the sex out. But it would still be an absolutely terrible idea to read it at work. If you want to read the sexed up version of this chapter, you'll have to look elsewhere, like on my LJ or AFF. This chapter is still QUITE sexy, though! Lovemaking occurs between two men in a loving relationship.

_Spoilers: _ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May directly after Book 7 ended

_Summary: _ Ryo is coming to terms with the changes in his relationship with Dee, as well as his new sexual identity. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer: _I do not own FAKE or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh (Tina Greenspan, Mike Abernathy, Ned Shaver and Essien Ibo are mine, however). No one gives me money or even chocolate to write this story. Sigh.

_Author's notes: _ No cliffy this time. The fever has left me. But it'll be back! Please read and review.

_Thank you_ to Mtemplar.

**A New Day **

_**Chapter 30   **_

Both hands wrapped around his gun, Dee stood poised for action, every muscle in his body taut and ready. To hell with regulations -- he was damn well going to shoot first and ask questions later. Assuming, of course, that anyone was still alive and able to speak after the dust cleared, including himself. And if Shaver had any sense, he would have puked his way over to his spare gun as unobtrusively as possible and gotten himself ready to provide backup. If he and Shaver between them managed to get off the first couple of rounds, they might be able to even the odds a little.

"Hey man, don't go in there -- my kid's in there!" Shaver's voice pleaded.

"Your kid?" To Dee's amazement, Ibo's voice actually sounded concerned. "Hold up, Jimmy. What the hell's your kid doing here? It's fucking Monday. He should be in school."

"Yeah, that's what I--"Shaver made another retching sound. "That's what I told him too... Oh... Urghllhh!" It sounded to Dee as though he were puking up half of his internal organs.

"Aw, fuck that's gross." It was Jimmy's voice, and he was obviously still right outside the bathroom door.

Figuring he had nothing to lose at this point by playing along, Dee called out in his best imitation of Bikky's voice, "Dad? I'm scared!"

"Holy fuck!" came another voice. "There IS a fucking kid in there."

Dee suddenly realized he should drop down a little in case they were able to discern that the_'kid's' _voice they heard was issuing from the wrong height. Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, he waited, semi-automatic pistol cocked and ready to fire, in case the bastards came in anyway. He had locked the door, naturally, but one good kick would fix that.

"Stand down, boys," he heard Ibo mutter. "We're done here anyway." Then the man called through the door, "It's okay, sunshine. We were just having a little fun with your dad. Everything's fine out here."

"Go away!" Dee called out once more in Bikky's voice.

Detective Shaver had risen to his knees from an all-fours position, vomit dripping from his chin. He couldn't believe Ibo was actually buying this, although he had to admit that Laytner was doing a pretty good acting job in there. He didn't sound like Kev, of course, but he sounded passably like a kid.

"We're goin', kiddo, don't you worry." Ibo chuckled, and turned back to Ned, his eyes hard again. "Wednesday night," he said in a soft but chilling voice. "Eleven o'clock. I was able to reschedule Rizzo. If you miss this one, your kid in there's gonna grow up without a daddy." He brought his leering face close to Shaver's. "But I'm sure his mama will find him a new daddy, eh?"

Detective Shaver could feel his eyes narrowing and his lips twisting back from his teeth in a snarl, but despite the fact that there was nothing he could do to stop his features from forming an expression of naked hatred, he managed to keep his mouth shut. He knew when he was outnumbered, outgunned, and outclassed in the muscle department. It also didn't help that he was on his knees in front of a puddle of his own vomit. Although he badly wanted to drive his fist into Ibo's scarred but still handsome face for the threat and the trash talk, he knew it would end up being the last thing he would ever do. And if it was revenge he wanted, a simple punch in the nose wasn't going to cut it. Not after everything he had been through with these bastards. So he swallowed what was left of his pride, and nodded. "Okay, Wednesday," he growled, and then ruined the effect by gagging as the bile rose in his throat again.

"What about the fruit, boss?"

"Get it."

One of the goons disappeared out into the hallway and returned with a large, beribboned basket of fruit, which he dumped on the floor in front of Shaver.

"Compliments of the Stone Bloods. Get well soon, you useless sonofabitch."

And they were gone, the heavy tread of their boots drowning out all other sounds on the third floor.

The door had barely closed behind them before the phone started ringing. Dee yanked the bathroom door open and looked about warily, his eyes alighting on the basket of fruit with a keen look. He and Shaver glanced at each other, and Dee thought they were probably both thinking the same thing, which was that they'd been damn lucky. Neither of them was really in any condition for a fight. Shaver staggered to his feet, wincing, and drew his sleeve across his vomit-smeared mouth. On his way to the phone, he managed to stumble over the fruit basket, which brought on a fit of cursing. A quick look at the call display appeared to make him even angrier.

"Shit. It's my fucking bitch of an ex-wife. Jesus, can this day get any worse?" He picked up the phone, however, and growled, "Yeah."

Dee waited impatiently, hoping this call wouldn't take too long. Not only had they just had an incredibly narrow escape, but a couple of things were also not adding up. He needed some answers from Detective Shaver, who appeared to be getting quite steamed up over his phone conversation.

"Sheila, I TOLD you I'd go to the fuc-- to the garden shop when I was feeling better. I'm _injured;_ don't you understand that?'

Dee could hear a strident female voice reciting what sounded like a litany of complaints, and whatever she was saying was making Shaver's face and neck turn beet red and his teeth grind together. He interrupted her to holler, "No you don't have to tell me again! Potting soil and fertilizer, right? And a stupid planter that weighs a ton and apparently has your name on it! Do you realize I can barely lift a mug right now? I can hardly fucking walk! I've been puking my guts up!"

Sheila's voice rose again, quite operatically this time, and Shaver interrupted her to yell about what a heartless bitch she was and how he hoped she didn't treat Kevin as badly as she treated him. The decibels in the room reached such an acute level that the neighbor began pounding on the wall again, and Dee was forced to wave his arms in front of Shaver to bring his attention to this fact.

"I gotta go, Sheila. I'll call you when I'm physically able to be your little errand boy again," he snarled sarcastically into the phone, and hung up swearing.

"Come on, man, take it easy," Dee said. "You're gonna burst a blood vessel."

"Women! That fucking cow acts like I gotta be her slave for life just because I didn't turn out to be the kind of wallet-on-legs husband she wanted. You got a wife, Detective?"

Dee held up a hand in mock horror. "Nope, and I don't intend to have one, either."

"You're a wiser man than I am." Shaver's voice was as bitter as three-day-old coffee.

"Look, Detective... Can we not talk about women right now? I mean, we both almost got done in back there and I wanna know what the hell just happened." Dee lit two cigarettes and handed one to Shaver. He suddenly realized that he had a throbbing headache that he had had no awareness of while the Stone Bloods had been on the other side of the wall.

"Yeah, right. Sorry. I had to take that call. It could've been about my son."

"Yeah, whatever," Dee said. "I thought you said your pals there knew you were too hot to touch. But it seems like they want you at their little party on Wednesday night real bad."

Shaver was silent, so Dee continued. And what the hell did you mean when you said if they found me here we were both dead? I mean, what the fuck is that about? They know you're a cop and that you work in a building full of cops. What's so wrong about you having a fellow cop come over to visit you?"

Shaver looked uncomfortable. "Ibo's got a major job he wants me to do, but he recently found out that Mike owns me. Since Mike's doing some business with the Devils, this is a problem for Ibo. He trusts me a whole lot less than he used to. I was supposed to go to a meeting on Sunday night. I was off work for the weekend and Ibo had told me not to go near any other cops until after the meeting. He promised that if I did, he'd blow my fucking head off. Fuck. Like I couldn't just pick up a phone. But I got his point." He took a drag of his cigarette, inhaling deeply. "But neither of us knew that the Devils were gonna do a number on me on Saturday night. After they got through with me, there was no way I could make that meeting. Ibo freaked and demanded I be there anyway, beating be damned. I got mad and said that if he and his people had been looking out for me the way they should have, it never would have happened in the first place."

"Bet he loved that."

"Well, I hung up and then pissed him off even more by not going to the meeting and not answering his goddamn calls. I had a feeling he'd come round today, but I didn't know whether it would be to kill me or get me for another meeting. And if he'd found me with another cop, he definitely woulda killed me. And you too, in case I'd told you the details about what he's trying to set up."

"Sounds big."

"It is. And he can't afford to have it screwed up by a _flunky_ like me."

"You gonna tell me about it?"

"Get me a fucking deal first. You got until Wednesday afternoon."

"As you mentioned earlier, I could put a tail on you."

"Don't. Your guys'll get popped. I guarantee it, and I already got enough on my conscience. Your best bet is if I go in wired. It's a huge risk for me, and I ain't willing to take it if all you got waiting for me is jail. Got it?"

Dee nodded.

"Wednesday afternoon," Shaver repeated. "Now, I hate to be rude to a guest, Detective, but I think you'd best get the hell outta here before I get any more fucking visitors. The way my luck is going today, it's likely to be Mike next."

Almost as soon as those words had left his mouth, there was a sharp rap on the door, which caused both men to jump and eye each other cautiously.

"Who the hell is it?" Shaver yelled.

"Manager."

Shaver strode to the door and opened it, only to have a piece of paper thrust into his hands. "What the---?"

"You're evicted, sir," the manager said. "I don't care if you're a cop. You've been nothing but trouble and this is a respectable building. I want you out by the end of the month."

"The end of the month? That's fucking Wednesday!"

&&&&&&&&&&

Dee was asleep on the sofa in his own apartment when he became aware that someone was knocking on the door. The events of earlier in the afternoon must have still had a hold on him, because the knock caused a rush of adrenaline. He reached convulsively for his gun, but he wasn't wearing his holster and in fact, his gun was locked up in his bedroom.

"Dee, it's me." It was Ryo, his soft tenor voice cutting through Dee's sleep-fuddled anxiety like a ray of sunshine. Dee sat up carefully and swung his feet onto the floor. He was going to have to get his darling a key. It would have been wonderful to have been woken up by kisses. Except he probably would have freaked and come up swinging. He knew it would probably take him a couple of days to stop being so jumpy.

"Hang on, babe."

He walked barefoot to the door and opened it, drinking in the sight of Ryo. Damn, that man looked good in a suit. He was going to look good out of it, too.

"Dee, I---mmph!" Ryo found himself being hauled across the threshold while being kissed in much the same way as he had in the doctor's office that morning. His first reaction was one of startled annoyance, but it was very quickly replaced by affection and the stirrings of desire. Dee just wouldn't be Dee without the frequent surprise seduction attacks.

"Hey, come on," he murmured, when Dee's lips finally left his and moved to his neck. "Let me at least get through the door."

Dee pushed the door shut and locked it with one hand while biting the side of Ryo's neck very gently. As he had anticipated, this caused a shiver to run through his partner's body. But a moment later, Ryo was trying to push him away.

"Dee, it's nice to see you too, but --oh no you don't--" He brought a hand up in front of his mouth to prevent another kiss, and then smiled at Dee's disappointed look. "Would you please invite me in first and offer me something to drink? It's been a long day."

Dee sighed and stepped back, since Ryo seemed determined to fend him off. "Can I help it if I missed you?" he complained, moving over to the refrigerator to see what he had for drinks.

"It was only a few hours, and I'm sure you spent most of that time sleeping," said Ryo, who nonetheless seemed pleased that he had been missed.

"I did manage to get a nap or two in, yeah," said Dee. "My meds are making me extra sleepy. OJ okay?"

"Yes, thank you. And I see you got yourself some lunch, too." Ryo indicated the pizza box on the floor next to the sofa. He felt happy that Dee had had the kind of quiet, restful day that his body needed in order to heal.

"How did it go with the bodacious Tina and the restaurant owner?" Dee grinned at the little flash of ire that suddenly shot into Ryo's eyes. God was probably frowning down at him for doing it, but he loved pushing Ryo's buttons.

Ryo watched Dee pour orange juice into a glass. "That glass had better be clean," he muttered, thinking _bodacious_?

"It's fairly clean," Dee said. "But I think I oughta warn you that I've been drinking straight out of the carton, so there's probably germs all over it." He lifted the juice container and blatantly licked the spout while looking at Ryo in amusement.

"You and Bikky both! Tell me something I don't know." Ryo tried to pretend he hadn't noticed, but the sight of Dee's tongue had started his mind moving in directions that he didn't want it to go. He turned away and carried his orange juice over to the sofa. Dee followed him and picked up the pizza box.

"Are you hungry? Got leftover pizza here."

Ryo eyed the pizza with trepidation, wondering how long it had been denied the benefits of refrigeration. "No thanks," he said. "I just want to update you on developments and then ask a favor."

"Whatever it is, the answer's yes."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should hear what it is first before you agree to anything."

"I'm guessing it's got something to do with Bikky, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, spit it out. How bad is it?"

"Uh...It involves you missing your game tonight. Possibly."

Dee sighed. "So I'll record it. I probably record half of my games thanks to our crazy work schedule. What do I have to do, babysit or something?"

"Well, kind of. You remember I told you I was gonna start going back to Karate again? I've got a class tonight from six to eight. But Bikky wants to go out fund-raising again for the funeral."

"And you want me to go with him, is that it?"

"Yeah. What Abernathy did this morning was really...out there. And calling Detective Greenspan yesterday to imply that Bikky had somehow been involved in Eddie's murder... It's got me worrying just a little. I feel strange about letting B go tramping around that dangerous neighborhood he used to live in all by himself."

"I don't blame you. I'll be glad to go with him. I'm sure nothing's gonna happen, though." He smiled reassuringly because he was pretty sure he was right. IF Abernathy was going to do something to Bikky at some point, he probably wouldn't pick the same day as his big rant at the 27th to do it. Also, the kid hadn't yet made his statement to the police, and since Abernathy had been the one to tell Detective Greenspan about Bikky's connection to Eddie, that did seem to indicate that he didn't care whether Bikky talked to the police or not.

"Thanks, Dee. See if you can get him home before dark."

"What time does he want to go out?"

"He said right after dinner. And speaking of dinner, did you have plans?"

"Only to call you and try to mooch an invite," Dee said.

"Well, let's get going then. Dinner's at five and my class is at six."

"What? Don't we even have time for a quickie?"

Ryo gave him an exasperated look. "Is that all you think about? I bet you've been lying on this sofa all day just thinking about sex!"

Dee's mind flashed back to his close call at Detective Shaver's apartment earlier. "Not exactly, Ryo. There's a couple things I oughta tell you."

Ryo listened to him, looking more and more appalled as the account went on. When Dee had finished, his partner's face was positively thunderous. There was a daunting moment when he thought Ryo might even be going to hit him, but then the next thing he knew, his lover was in his arms, holding him tightly and kissing him passionately. It was almost like that time when Ryo had found him still alive in the bomb-wreckage of Bikky's school. Surprised, but determined to take advantage of this fortuitous turn of events, Dee kissed him back and started undoing the other man's shirt buttons in between caresses. Ryo didn't come to his senses until Dee's finger and thumb fastened around one of his nipples and began rolling and twisting it gently. Then he suddenly seemed to wake up to what he was in the middle of.

"Dee, stop that! We don't have time," he protested.

"Sure we do," murmured Dee, kissing his lover's throat and successfully wedging him into one corner of the sofa.

"No we don't. If we leave right now, I'll have just enough time to throw a quick pasta dinner together -- Dee! Get out of there!"

Dee, who had gotten his partner's pants open and was rummaging around inside, pretended not to hear him. He stepped up the nipple stimulation and was rewarded by a low moan when he got a grip on Ryo's shaft. It was only semi-hard but that would change once he had wrapped his hand around it and jacked it a few times... God, Ryo was irresistible at times like this. His partner's protests and attempts to push him away were accompanied by gasps and little cries and the most delicious half-naked writhing a man could ask for.

"Dee...you bastard...let me go...oh Jesus that feels good...Stop it...I-- I have to cook...mmmmhhh..."

Dee lifted his mouth from Ryo's just long enough to say, "Take out. On me," before resuming his efforts to drive his lover mad with desire.

What he was doing was evidently working, he thought with a mounting excitement of his own, as his lover's member got harder and harder in his hand, and his body temperature became warmer. He spared a thought for Ryo, still mostly in his now quite wrinkled suit, and considered that it was high time to get him out of it. Ryo had not yet stopped trying to find the willpower to shut everything down, and Dee wouldn't have put it past him to do just that. He suddenly moved backwards off Ryo and pulled him to his feet, almost in one motion.

"Dee --wha--" Ryo's eyes widened in surprise.

"Let's go to the bedroom, " Dee panted. "Wanna... get your clothes off --get _you_off--"

But Ryo was resisting, looking up at one of the many clocks on the wall. "Crap, Dee...look at the time. Bikky and Carol are waiting for us. I told them to be ready to eat at 5 pm and it's twenty after four!"

"We're getting take-out, don't forget." Dee continued persistently tugging Ryo toward the bedroom. It didn't help that Ryo's pants were practically falling down, which made walking difficult.

"Even, if we get the fastest take-out in the Western Hemisphere, we still should leave right now!" Ryo was trying to do up his pants, but his large, excited erection was getting in the way.

Dee seized him by both shoulders. "Ryo," he said, "I know this is a helluva time for me to tell you this, but I'm always horny as hell after a near-death experience, or in fact, ANY kind of experience that involves death. I --I don't know why. There's probably some kind of psychological explanation for it."

"Dee...what? Really?" Ryo was looking at him suspiciously, but after a moment his face changed, as he evidently came to the realization that Dee was not only sincere, but also as horny as he'd ever seen him.

Dee closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Ryo's. His whole body was tense, and a tremor ran through him as Ryo reached up a hand to steady him.

"It wasn't so obvious in the hospital, I know," Dee said. "But I think I remember them saying I'd lost some blood. But now...Ryo, sweetheart, I need you. Beating off by myself ain't gonna cut it. I need to feel alive. With you."

Ryo hesitated. It would be exactly like Dee to make up something like this to get laid, and he would be so angry, if that was all this turned out to be. However, his instincts were telling him that Dee was in a true state of need, as was he himself.

"Look at me, Dee."

Dee did.

"You'd better not be lying to me."

Dee just shook his head mutely, without breaking eye contact.

"Okay, then. Fifteen minutes. But no more, do you understand? I told Bikky not to fill up on after school snacks. I don't want those kids to be hungry, AND I hate to be late for things; you know that." Ryo let his trousers fall, and kicked his way out of them. He was touched when Dee immediately picked them up and laid them over the back of the sofa.

They came back together in a kiss that was sweet, wet and urgent. This time it was Ryo who took the lead, gently propelling Dee backwards into the bedroom. Once there, Dee shrugged out of his shirt and lowered his sweat pants to mid-thigh, allowing his erection to spring free. Ryo helped to balance him while he stepped out of them and tossed them, Dee-like, onto the floor with his shirt. He then returned the favor, helping Ryo to remove his jacket, tie, shirt and boxers. When they were both naked, save for Dee's bandage, they stood before each other, running their hands up and down each other's bodies. Ryo experimented by touching Dee's penis, stroking his fingertips firmly up and down its taut length a couple of times, while watching Dee closely to gauge his reaction.

"Umf," said Dee, flushing, and rocking closer to Ryo. Ryo tentatively closed his fist around Dee's penis and began jacking him. He was fascinated when his partner's eyes dropped shut and Dee began moving rhythmically into his hand. Ryo had been celibate for so long before circumstances had led him to Dee's bed that he had almost forgotten this key pleasure of sex: the enjoyment to be derived from turning one's lover on. His previous lovers hadn't been men, of course, but the principle was the same.

"Baby," Dee moaned. "Baby...I love it when you touch me."

Ryo almost whispered _I love touching you, too, _but lost his nerve at the last minute. He had become so wrapped up in Dee's need that he had practically forgotten his own. He was brought to an abrupt reminder of it, however, when Dee reached for him. He flinched, then melted as his lover's fingers curled gently around his manhood, then moved down to cup his testes. Dee's hair tickled his face and he reached up to caress it.

"Let's get on the bed, okay?" Dee's voice was husky. Ryo nodded in response and the two of them climbed onto Dee's big queen-sized bed. Dee hadn't missed Ryo's quick glance at one of the bedroom clocks, though, so he got right to the point. "How do you wanna come, love?" he asked reaching up a hand to cup the side of Ryo's face.

Ryo immediately blushed and averted his eyes. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled. "As long as it's fast."

Dee grinned at him. "Speaking only for myself, I'd say it's gonna be embarrassingly fast," he said. "But I've got a suggestion. Something new. New for us, that is. I'm sure you've done it before."

"What?" asked Ryo, half nervous, half excited.

Dee leaned in to kiss him, and when he drew back he whispered his suggestion against Ryo's mouth. When he felt Ryo's lips smile against his, he missed him again and murmured, "Is that a yes?"

"Ordinarily it would be a maybe," Ryo said. "But in the interests of saving time, let's call it a yes."

"Are you sure, baby? We don't have to if you don't want to..."

"I want to, Dee. Everything about you is just so...so..." he hesitated, feeing shy.

"Just so what?"

"Sexy," Ryo finished, and buried his burning face against Dee's shoulder.

"Ryo, you make me so happy," Dee whispered fiercely, clutching his lover close to him.

&&&&&&&&&&&

They arrived home at ten after five with bags of fish and chips to find a pair of hungry teens waiting for them. Bikky's eyes lit up at the sight of the take out bags, and Carol leaned over the table to sniff the fragrant warm air that wafted from them.

"What did you get? Fish and chips? Cool! That's better than the veggie tofu pasta that Ryo said we were gonna have."

"But I LIKE tofu," Carol said. "I was looking forward to it."

"Sorry, Carol," Ryo said, kissing her cheek. "Next time, I promise. Can you do me a favor and organize this stuff onto the table? You know where the plates and knives and forks are."

"Sure, Ryo. Anything for you. Can Bikky be my slave-assistant?"

"Absolutely!" Ryo said as he left the kitchen. "Bikky, do whatever Carol tells you."

"Huh?"

While Ryo changed out of his work clothes, Dee sat on the sofa, randomly flipping channels on the TV while thinking about Ned Shaver and how the hell they were going to get the Commissioner to agree to a deal. He and Ryo had discussed it in the car, and Ryo had said it was worth talking to him again, maybe through the Chief. The Commissioner would be able to save face by saying 'yes' as a special favor to a lieutenant he often worked closely with, whereas his pride would force him to say 'no' to two lowly detectives. They might not even have to deliver on Shaver's deal anyway, since the narcotics detective was clearly up to his eyeballs in shit and seemed to have 'future murder victim' printed on his forehead in big red letters. On the other hand, Dee, thought, he had seen Shaver's type before. They were tenacious. Hard to kill. But not lucky. _That's the biggest difference between you and me, bud,_ he thought. _For whatever reason, I got the lucky gene. _

Dee was a big believer in luck. He had even contradicted Mother when she had admonished him about his 'pagan belief' and told him it was God's interventions he should be thankful for, not luck. He had insisted to her that if God loved everyone equally, then he wouldn't rescue some people while letting others, who were equally deserving, suffer pain, loss and death. Had God loved Jess and Arnon less? He didn't want any part of a God who played favorites, he'd told her, so therefore luck had to be a completely separate thing from God. She had just sighed and said that someday he would come to recognize that there was no luck, only God's will. She was sure he would understand when he got older. But he never really did. He had had a crisis of faith after losing Jess and Arnon and had quit attending services for a while. He had been unable to forgive God for taking them away, and for not saving them somehow. He and Mother had finally come to a compromise, and the concept of angels had been the bridge that brought him back to his faith. He couldn't accept that God hadn't given a shit about Arnon, but he _could_ accept that Arnon's guardian angels had perhaps fallen down on the job and were feeling sorry about it. In any case, he didn't like to think too much about the details, and he had always counted on his innate luck to pull him through the various scrapes he had gotten into over the years.

"Dinner's ready! Come and get it!" Carol called, interrupting his reverie. "Bikky's eating all the fries, so don't drag your feet."

"Am not," mumbled Bikky around a mouthful of food.

Ryo offered milk to the kids, poured iced tea for himself and Dee, and dinner began. After all the rushing of the last hour, it certainly felt nice to sit and relax for a few minutes with the people he loved. He watched as Carol tried to squeeze lemon on Bikky's fish and Dee dipped a large french fry into tartar sauce. He noticed that there was a speck of tartar sauce on his partner's lip, and for a moment he wished it were possible to lean over and lick it off.

"Ryo, can you pass the ketchup? That is, if you're not too busy staring at the moron?"

Ryo looked quickly at Bikky. Had he been staring? He probably had. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about how he could have lost Dee today. That made two near misses in too short a time. But Dee was alive and well, and Bikky was looking hopefully at the ketchup bottle, so Ryo forced those dark thoughts out of his mind.

"If I let you have the ketchup, do you solemnly promise that there will be no more incidents like we had on your birthday?"

"Hey, that was all Dorkhead, here! If he hadn't--"

"Bikky, this attitude of yours is doing nothing to convince me that you're ready to be trusted with ketchup again."

Bikky rolled his eyes. "All right, all right. I solemnly promise on my grandma's shorts not to squirt ketchup anywhere except on my french fries. Can I have the bottle now, please?"

"Okay, here you go. I have to leave for Karate in a couple of minutes, and I expect you to remember your promise even when I'm not in the room, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Bikky, who was busy drowning his food with his favorite red condiment.

"Hey, last chance to stare at me before you go," Dee said to Ryo, who glared at him with a look that clearly said _traitor._

"I think it's so cute the way he's been gazing at you," remarked Carol as she picked up a forkful of fish.

Bikky snorted in disbelief. "I just don't get why anyone would wanna burn their eyes out looking at a monkey-butt face like that."

"Well, you see, Bikky, Ryo thinks I'm hot," Dee explained, with a wink at Carol that sent her off into a peal of laughter.

"Aw, gross! How am I s'posed to eat if I have to listen to crap like that?"

"That's your problem, twerp. Hey Carol, what's your opinion? Does Ryo perhaps feel that I am a blazing bonfire of uber-hotness?"

"No, I wouldn't go that far," she said. "He just thinks you're hot."

"Cut it out, you two," said Ryo, standing up and removing the ketchup from Bikky's suddenly menacing grip. "I have to get going and I want everyone to behave themselves in my absence."

"But you didn't finish your dinner," Carol protested.

"I'm not that hungry," Ryo said over his shoulder as he disappeared into his bedroom.

Dee and Bikky looked at each other. "Dibs on his fries," said Bikky quickly.

Ryo heard the shouting from the bedroom, where he was rolling up his Karate gi and belt and putting them into his gym bag. When he emerged, it was to see french fries and green peas all over the floor, and Bikky and Dee both loudly blaming each other for the mess. He sighed. At least no one was in a headlock.

"Make sure that gets cleaned up before anybody goes anywhere," said Ryo sternly as he headed for the door. "See you tomorrow, Carol."

She waved encouragingly. "Have fun, Ryo."

As Ryo locked the door behind him, he heard Carol's voice saying in a sarcastic tone, "Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE having dinner with you guys?"

&&&&&&&&

end of chapter 30

Chapter 31 is on my LJ page now. I'll post 31 here on FF dot net in two weeks. I plan to spend this weekend writing chapter 32. Thank you for reading!


	31. Chapter 31

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 31_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Shantaya, Giovanna, Rick and Kyle the bouncer are all mine, however)

Author's notes: This is not an exciting chapter. No sex, no violence, no angst. All that really happens is that Dee builds his relationship with Bikky and Bikky gets some information from the street. You might remember Kyle the bouncer from one of my other stories.

Thank you to Mtemplar for the awesome beta-work.

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 31_

"Hey Shantaya. How's business?"

"Aw, if it ain't the Bikster, back like clockwork." Shantaya struck a pose and gave him a lazy smile that showed her new front teeth. "I wish all the boys kept their promises like you, honey."

"Well you know me-- Never lie to a woman!"

She chuckled at that and tossed her head, but her ironed, hairsprayed helmet of hair barely moved. "Like your daddy before you, sweetness. Your first daddy, that is. Who's your chaperone over there?"

"Him? Oh that's my dad's... boyfriend," Bikky answered, feeling just a little strange as those three unfamiliar words left his lips. "He's here to make sure no one mugs me. Word is that I'm running around at night with cash on me nowadays." Bikky grinned at her. He hadn't argued when Ryo had told him he was going to ask Dee to accompany him. His funeral-collection project was going really well. He had come home with $700 cash on Sunday night, and that kind of thing did tend to get around. Not that Doofus would be much help with his injury and all, but still. It was good for the people in this neighborhood to know that he had a bodyguard, just in case anyone was thinking of trying something.

"Your dad's _boyfriend_? Oh that's too bad. He's really cute. What a looker. Don't look very gay to me. You sure he don't swing both ways?"

"Forget it, he's a total fag," said Bikky firmly. "He's basically just here to shoot anyone who messes with me and tries to take Eddie's funeral money."

"He a cop like your white daddy?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, he ain't gonna cramp your style. So anyway, you told me to come back tonight?"

"Oh yeah, the _money_! I s'pose you come for that? And here's po' lil' me thinking you came to admire my pretty new dress." Shantaya pouted a little and swivelled her hips so that her short swingy pink skirt swished over her ample thighs.

"Looks like Rick's been good to you. New teeth, FINE new dress."

"They's always sweet at the start, honey. That's the time to get stuff." Shantaya reached under her skirt and pulled out a small wad of bills that had been tucked into the elastic at the top of her fishnet stocking. "You remember that when you're starting out your future career as a hotshot NBA star. Negotiate a good deal in the beginning, that's the time to do it. Here. You take this." She thrust the money at Bikky, looking about slightly furtively as she did so. "And don't you never tell Rick you got any cash from me. I don't know how or why, but he don't like Eddie. Blames him for killin' Tamara, if you can imagine."

"What? That's bullshit! Why would Eddie kill anyone? He spent his life looking out for the kids on the street. He and Tamara were good friends."

Shantaya gave him a knowing look. "Rick's puttin' it out that their friendship was a little TOO close -- and Eddie killed her out of jealousy 'cause he couldn't take on Rick."

"I'll take on Rick myself if he doesn't quit sayin' that crap about Eddie and Tamara! Come on Shantaya, you don't believe it do you?"

"Babycakes, I'm Rick's new sweet thang. We got teeth, we got clothes, and reeeeeal good drugs. Until he gets locked up or shot down, it's my job to listen to his big talk and go, 'Uh-huh, darling, you are SO right and SO wise 'bout everything'. Do you understand my true place in the bigger picture here?"

"Eddie just gave Tamara a place to stay after a bad trick beat her up, that's all," said Bikky. "Rick didn't protect her right; it happened a lot. Everyone said he did jack shit for the money he took off her. You know this, don't you?"

"Bikky, my sweet innocent child, look at me. This is _Shantaya _ you talkin' to; we been friends for a long time, right?"

"Right. A real long time." Bikky's resentment toward Rick didn't entirely leave him, but he looked up at Shantaya with all the liking and trust he had always felt for her showing in his eyes.

"Well, you remember, you were there. Rick weren't my first, and he ain't gonna be my last. But right now, he's the man of the hour. I don't know how he did it, but suddenly he got money, he got confidence, and he got connections, so as long as that lasts, I'm here for the ride. You got me?" At Bikky's nod, she continued. "And whatever he is, at least he's an improvement over Tino." Bikky nodded again, remembering how she had lost her teeth in the first place.

"But Eddie was a good man," Shantaya added, "and I ain't never gonna forget the time he took a beatin' for me. Even when he was hurtin', he was always a gentleman. So you take that money and...and put it toward a real nice funeral. Buy him a... snappy suit... to wear on his big day, okay?"

Her voice rose in a high-pitched squeak on the last few words and her eyes got glassy. She quickly tilted her head back and flapped her fingers in front of her eyes as though to dry the tears that were trying to fall. "Oh crap, can't have tears, can't be wrecking my make-up..."

Bikky dug in his pocket and produced a napkin that smelled vaguely of fish and chips, and handed it to her. "Sorry I don't have anything better," he said. "Hey! Did I ever tell you about the time your aunt Crystal chased me with a wooden spoon? She's one scary lady. I swear I stand up straight and spit out my gum every time I think of her!"

He managed to get Shantaya laughing and her all-important make-up was saved. Their cheeriness lasted until Shantaya was approached by a client, whereupon she shooed Bikky off.

Dee leaned against a street lamp, smoking, as he watched the rugrat approach. "That took long enough," he remarked. "How much did you get?"

"If you're bored, you can go on home anytime," snapped Bikky, not looking at him. He was still mad about what Rick was allegedly saying about Eddie.

"I AM bored," Dee confirmed. "But come hell, high water, or P.O'd pimps, I'm here for you 'til you're ready to quit."

Bikky fell into step beside him and gave him a sidelong look. "How much did you hear?"

"Not a damn thing. But you got all mad about something back there. I'm guessing it was connected to her pimp."

"He's a fuckin' asshole."

"Want me to ruin his evening if we see him?"

"Nah. I wanna take care of the bastard myself. But in a couple of years, maybe." Bikky looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers, as if assessing their destructive power. Dee understood exactly how he felt. He had done the same thing when he was Bikky's age and size -- marking off his enemies and the scores he was going to settle with them as soon as he was big enough. But now, all he did was shrug. "Suit yourself," he said.

After they had walked half a block, Bikky spotted another girl who had promised him money for Eddie.

"There's Giovanna," he said, "Stay here, okay?"

Over the course of the past couple of hours, Dee had been receiving a crash course as to the extent of Bikky's contacts, as well as a sense of how connected he still was to his former neighborhood, despite having been adopted by a middle class, half-Japanese cop, who, as far as Bikky's former neighbors were concerned, came across as white. Bikky and Dee had talked to bus drivers, waiters, taxi drivers, thugs, junkies, valet parkers and outreach social workers, and had now moved on to the hookers. To Dee's amazement, all of them knew Eddie and most of them contributed something, even if it was only a couple of bucks. He was beginning to suspect that they were going to have a pretty big turnout for Eddie's funeral.

He stayed a short distance from the girl Bikky had identified as 'Giovanna', and watched the street while the kid went over and greeted her.

"Saluti, my friend. WHO is that magnificent male creature with you tonight?" Giovanna demanded, indicating Dee.

Bikky was annoyed. Why the hell were they all so interested in Dee? "He's just here to look out for me tonight," he told her. "He's gay, Gio. Forget about him."

"I am sure he is not. It is my job to know these things about men. Call him to me. I want to meet him."

"Gio, this isn't---"

"I have your money, mio dolce. You have my word that I will give it to you. But bring me that man. I wish to see his face."

Scowling, Bikky took a few steps away from her and beckoned Dee, who was resting an elbow on a mailbox and smoking, as usual. At first, he seemed not to understand, and tried to confirm with sign language that he should indeed approach Bikky. Bikky was forced to make a much larger gesture, and suddenly it seemed as though half the eyes on the street were on them as Dee came toward them with his customary easy swagger. No one would have guessed what it was costing him, in terms of pain.

"What is your name?" asked the pale-skinned beauty in a wine-dark, though practically see-though outfit. She was tall, slender, and small-breasted, and her ass was truly spectacular. Dee had seen her before, working this street in the afternoons and evenings.

"Dee," he replied, enjoying the sight of her.

"Is it true what Bikky says, that you are gay?" She shook her dark hair seductively so that a mass of it fell along one side of her face.

"No, technically, I'm bi, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"My name is Giovanna. You are my ideal man. "If you ever wish for comfort with a woman, please know that I would not dream of charging you--"

"Gio, if he ever does it with you, I'll kill him myself," interrupted Bikky, glaring at both of them. "My dad and him are, you know, 'together', for Christ's sake! They're nuts about each other. Right, Dee?"

"Right," said Dee cooperatively, looking from one to the other while suppressing a desire to laugh. "Nuttier than a squirrel's– ow!" He glared down at Bikky, who, having kicked him, was now ignoring him.

"Wait," said Giovanna. "He is the lover of your father, the police detective? That beautiful man I have seen walking with you, the one with the dark, dark eyes? Maybe a little bit of the Asian blood in him?"

"That's the guy," said Dee proudly, with a proprietorial light in his eye. Just as he had noticed her, so she had noticed Ryo. New York City was a very big place, but sometimes the neighborhoods could be as small in their way as small towns. "Gorgeous, isn't he? And mine, all mine."

"Ah," said Giovanna sadly.

"Okay, you've met him now, right? Dee, Giovanna. Giovanna, Dee. Now Dee, get the fuck outta here while I talk to Giovanna about Eddie."

"Yes Sir, King Twerp," said Dee, saluting him casually. He gave Giovanna a short bow, to which she returned a graceful curtsey, and then he returned to his mailbox. Bikky's eyes followed Dee's retreat with hostility.

"Il mio caro ragazzo," Giovanna said to him. "Please forgive me. I am disappointed, of course, but I see that there is great love there, at least for now. I give you my word that I will not be involved in the destruction of your father's happiness in any way. And even if this man, this Dee, were free, he would not be interested in me, such as I am, a woman for all men." She sighed dramatically and continued to gaze at Dee, who gave her a friendly wave.

Bikky nodded and tried his best to be patient with her, while looking at the dark blue lights on the Empire State building off in the distance. He liked it when they were blue. He always felt lucky on those nights. It was past eight now and twilight was starting to descend. If Gio would just quit giving Dorkhead the eye, maybe he could get on with his business and get home with enough time to wrap up his unfinished English homework. Gio had always been quite a romantic, which was pretty unusual among hookers. She had often hinted that someday a man would come who would take her away from all this. He had a feeling she'd be waiting a long time.

"But let us talk of Eddie, certamente un angelo, and free from this life of pain. When is his funeral, mio dolce?"

"Thursday. Eleven o'clock. Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn." He handed her one of the info-flyers that he and Carol had created on the computer. "Can you come?"

"Certamente. I would not miss it. And here is money." She handed him a folded fifty-dollar bill. "I promised and so I shall keep my promise."

"Thanks Giovanna! You're too good for this place."

She inclined her head to one side and smiled a bit sadly. "Perhaps that is true, mi dolce. Yet... here I am."

"Hey," said Bikky. "Have you heard what Rick's been saying about how Eddie killed Tamara?"

Giovanna emitted a little sound of contempt. "Si! And also how he wanted to avenge her by killing Eddie himself except someone beat him to it. Such foolishness!" she said, and then looked over her shoulder nervously before continuing. "No one feels true respect for Rick, or should I say _Ja Romeo_? No one who knew Eddie could think of him as a jealous lover. Sometimes I think that Rick believes we are all as stupid as he is."

Bikky nodded, satisfied. "Yeah, that's what he probably thinks," he agreed. "Have a good night, Gio." With that, he took his leave and went to rejoin Dee, who was waving at Giovanna again.

"Did you get a real good look at her?" he asked Dee sarcastically. "Maybe you'd like to stay here for a couple more hours. I'm sure Ryo wouldn't mind at all."

"Hey, she waved at me first! I was just being polite."

"You? Polite?" Bikky gave a snort of laughter, which Dee decided to let pass.

"How long has Giovanna been in the country?" he asked. "Does she have a Green Card?"

"Nah, she's from Wyoming. Her name is Martha Elwood. She always does that Italian thing. I don't know why. Must be hard to keep it up. Can you walk a little faster? I wanna catch Dari down at Helene's before he goes for his break."

The eight pm start time for the basketball game had come and gone, and Bikky still wasn't showing any signs of wanting to go home. As they walked, Dee tried to remind him about the game and interest him in going home to watch the second half.

"I'll bet you five bucks that the Pistons stomp Miami," he said.

"Huh!" Bikky snorted. "You're gonna lose your money for sure. I don't even have to watch this game to know how it's gonna turn out. Besides, I'd rather go talk to Linda and Casey. They make big bucks at The North Pole."

"That strip joint? Don't tell me they're---"

"Yeah." Bikky stopped walking and glared up at Dee. "But YOU'RE waiting outside! I don't want you embarrassing me."

"What the hell are you talking about? Haven't I kept a low profile? Haven't I let you do your thing?"

Bikky couldn't think of an answer, because what Dee was saying was actually true.

"Well? Hey Bikky, hold up a minute, there. Give an old man with a gunshot wound a chance to rest."

Bikky cursed under his breath. Trust Dorkhead to play that up. But he felt instantly contrite when he turned around and saw Dee steadying himself by leaning one arm against a wall.

"Dee? You okay?"

"I think so. Just a bit past due for my meds, that's all. And I haven't been myself since Friday night. Not sure if it's this big fuckin' trench in my side or the concussion..."

"Whatever. Just take it slow, all right? We can go home if you want. I can try and catch the strippers tomorrow night, but Tuesday is amateur night so Linda and Casey don't come on until later."

"How much later?" Dee was fumbling the top off a plastic pill bottle.

"Nine-thirty."

"Ryo will never go for that. Especially if you say the words 'strip club'."

"Do I look stupid to you? I _know_ that! But I gotta try. I might get as much as a hundred off of Linda. She makes an insane amount of money in tips and she owes Eddie big time. Hey, there's a bench over there. You wanna go rest for a minute? You don't look so good."

"Yeah. Just for a minute, though."

"Are you just gonna swallow those pills dry?"

"Yeah. What choice do I have?"

"Just a sec." Bikky ran into a nearby CVS and reappeared three minutes later with two cans of Pepsi, one of which he handed to Dee. "Here ya go. This'll give you some energy."

"Fuck, I can't believe this. Bikky Goldman just bought me a can of Pepsi for the first time ever."

"It's MacLean now, remember? And I didn't _buy_ it, dipshit."

Dee glowered. "Did you rip it off? I seem to remember you promising Ryo--"

"No! Jeez, settle down. My buddy Mohammad, who WORKS there, donated it for the cause. Plus another five bucks."

"Sorry, Biks." Dee pulled the tab off his can and it hissed invitingly. He swallowed his painkillers with a mouthful of Pepsi.

He and Bikky sat without talking for a few moments, but it was anything but quiet. The city around them was starting to come alive. The revving noise of car engines and the blare of honking horns couldn't quite drown out the sounds of people laughing and talking on the broad sidewalk as they passed in a steady flow. The seedy streets inhabited by sex trade workers like Giovanna and Shantaya had given way to thriving restaurants and nightclubs, although not the high-rent kind. The air was full of delicious smells, and Bikky's stomach rumbled in response. Dinner had only been about three hours ago, but it seemed longer. He resolutely pushed thoughts of food out of his mind, however. He had a mission to complete. Eddie's funeral was costing Ryo a huge pile of cash, and he felt somewhat guilty about that. He was determined to help as much as he could. Ryo was always so good to him, so patient and loving, no matter how many times he screwed up. He would flip out of course, but he always forgave. Bikky's life had changed dramatically in the past two and a half years, and all for the better. Even though there were times when he felt like he was drowning in all the rules and restrictions of his new father's expectations of him, he knew in his heart that he had a lot to be grateful for. Where would he be without Ryo? It made him feel sick to think he could have lost him on Friday night. But Doofus had been there to make sure that didn't happen. He certainly had his uses. Bikky stole a look at Dee.

"Hey Dee, thanks," he said.

Dee was so amazed that Bikky was thanking him for something that he nearly choked on his soda. When he recovered, he said, "Don't mention it. This ain't the first time I've missed a game because duty called."

"I don't mean about the game. I meant about you takin' a bullet for Ryo. Ryo didn't tell me any details about Friday night with those skinheads, but I went to Freddie's and I got the whole story from Joey, a guy who works there. He told me about how the freak had a gun in Ryo's face and how you trashed him 'til he shot you instead. So I...I owe you, man. I don't think any other cop woulda done that for Ryo." Bikky paused. He had delivered that speech without actually looking at Dee, and it hadn't been as hard as he expected. However, now it was time to show him who was boss again. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be all nicey-nice and let you get away with shit. Ryo was mine before he was yours. Although hey, I'm not blind. I can see that he's got some kind of retarded thing for you."

"You're welcome, brat. And just so you know, I'm crazy about him too. No one's gonna put a bullet in him as long as I've got breath in my body."

"And you'd better not break his heart, either, you bastard. Do you HAVE to be constantly checkin' out the chicks?"

Dee grinned at him, knowing the kid was pissed off about the catcalls and admiring invitations he had received earlier in hookerville. Before that, there had also been a waitress who had tried to slip him her phone number. "Come on, is it MY fault that women are hot for me? In spite of my chick-magnet qualities, I've been a real good boy for a real long time. If I flirt, it's mostly just habit now. Besides, looking is not the same as touching, you know."

Bikky scowled at him, clearly not convinced.

"And another thing," Dee went on. "At least once tonight you outed Ryo in the 'hood. You'd better be careful about that, because he's not ready for the world to know yet."

"Half the world already knows." Bikky slumped lower on the bench, his arms folded defensively over his chest. "And I only did that because I didn't want you and Gio to start something up."

"Listen up, monkey-brat." There was something in Dee's voice that made Bikky turn his head and look at him, and when he did, he was taken aback by the look in his eyes. Dee's hand was resting heavily on his shoulder and he didn't like it.

"You think I'm gonna step out on Ryo, don't you? You think I'm gonna lose interest and start playing the field again. Well, let me tell you something, and you can either believe me or not. Just like you, I know how incredibly lucky I am that Ryo came into my life, and I am not going to do ANYTHING to screw that up. I went through hell to get him, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep him. Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Bikky looked warily at him. Shit, the Perv sure seemed sincere. "But you just better keep a leash on your lizard and be faithful and stuff, 'cause if you aren't, I'll break your fuckin' arm."

"Deal," said Dee, offering him a fist, which the kid punched lightly. He thought it was time for a change of subject. "How much paper you carrying now?"

Bikky pulled out the wad of bills and looked around cautiously. "Keep watch and I'll count. I think I'm over three hundred."

Dee obediently kept watch while Bikky counted. "Three hundred and twenty-five!" he announced triumphantly. "Pretty good, huh?"

"That's more than good," conceded Dee. "It's flat-out fantastic. What's the grand total so far?"

Bikky thought for a moment. "Fifteen twenty-five."

Dee leaned back on the bench. "Shit," he said. "I think that calls for a celebratory burp." Taking another swig of his Pepsi, he let loose with an eruption of gas that made two passing women turn their heads in horror. "Beat that, brat," he said smugly. Bikky was thrilled and giggled madly before gulping down the rest of his own soda.

"Listen to this, loser!" He thumped his chest a couple of times and the resulting belch, when it came, was equally as loud as Dee's and perhaps a fraction longer. "Don't mess with the master!"

They both laughed and for a few minutes it totally slipped Bikky's mind that they were natural adversaries. Dee pushed that advantage a little further.

"I'll admit when you came up with your fund-raising plan, I thought you wouldn't be able to get even fifty bucks outta these people, but I was wrong. You're awesome, Bik. And this'll help Ryo, too when the bill comes."

Bikky actually flushed with the pleasure of having his efforts recognized, but as twilight had faded to darkness and the bench where they were sitting was outside an unlit storefront, he didn't think Dee could see. He struggled to come up with a suitably snappy rejoinder that was slightly less cutting than usual.

"You can call me awesome all you want, but I'm still not letting you come inside the strip club," he said in a faux-grumpy voice.

"Well, I'd like to see YOU get inside, what with being so far from legal drinking age that they could lose their license just from letting you look at the posters outside."

Bikky snorted. "Watch and learn, Doofus. It's called 'having connections'."

But Dee's words proved to be prophetic when Bikky found himself faced with a brand new bouncer at The North Pole that he had never seen before, and who wasn't about to risk his job by allowing a thirteen-year-old through the door to pester Linda and Casey.

"Come back in seven years, kid," he said.

"Where's Nels? He usually lets me in."

"Nels got hurt in a fight. He's home with a broken wrist and he won't be back until his cast is off."

"Well, if Nels usually lets me in, why can't you?"

"Because Nels is fuckin' stupid and I don't wanna get fired."

"Then can either Linda or Casey come out here to talk to me?"

"They're both busy doing lap dances right now, and Linda's onstage in fifteen minutes, so no, I don't think so."

"Look, I gotta tell Linda about a funeral for a friend of hers. She doesn't even know he's dead and she's gonna be real pissed with you if you don't let me in."

"Too bad. But hey, if you scribble me a message on a couple of dead Lincolns, I'll make sure I remember to tell her all about it. Now step aside kid. We got people coming through here."

A pair of college age boys pushed past Bikky and the doorman took their cover charges and gave them each a discount drink ticket.

"What's your name?" Bikky angrily asked the bouncer.

"His name is Kyle and he used to work at Joe Spunky's on 41st, which is a GAY club," said Dee stepping forward.

"Hey, shhh buddy, no one knows about that around here," said Kyle anxiously.

"Joe _what_?" asked Bikky incredulously.

"Did you finally get fired, Kyle?"

"Well, it was more of a misunderstanding, actually," said Kyle carefully.

"I bet it had something to do with-- cover your ears, Bikky."

Bikky quickly did, but not tightly. He was curious. This was probably going to be good.

"Something to do with those illegal semi-public sex shows you were letting happen in the alcoves, perhaps."

Kyle was silent, but he looked nervous and a drop of sweat ran down one of his temples.

"Tellya what." Dee was speaking in a confident, yet slightly insolent tone of voice that secretly impressed Bikky. He couldn't believe this was the same guy who'd been practically dying on a bench less than twenty minutes ago. "We're gonna stash the kid here out of sight in ... one of the girls' dressing rooms or something, while I go in and fetch Linda off the floor to come and talk with him. I'm not gonna ask you to go 'cause I know you gotta stay on the door and all. After we talk to Linda and Casey, we're gonna disappear out of your life with no one the wiser about your former life at Joe's. How's that?"

"Well, uh, yeah...I think we could do that, except it's a communal dressing room. A couple of the girls might be in there changing outfits...I don't know how they'll feel about you guys invading their privacy."

"Duh, dude, they're peelers, okay? This ain't the New York Ballet. These girls take everything off onstage. How shy could they be?"

"I guess you're right." Kyle flushed slightly. "All right, the kid can wait there. But he can't touch anything, though. That's really important."

"This boy is very well-behaved, not to mention religious," said Dee with a totally straight face. "I guarantee he won't touch anything. He won't even LOOK anywhere that God would disapprove of."

"Okay then, hang on." Kyle signaled to a gum-chewing waitress, who came over to them looking curious. "Miri," he said. "These guys are friends of Linda and Casey. Can you take the kid to the dressing room please?"

Miri stared from Kyle to Bikky and back to Kyle, but didn't bat an eye. "What'cha name, kid?" She had a pretty Asian face, but a harsh voice like a crow's.

"Bikky," he responded. "Um, that's a really nice...apron you're wearing, Miri."

A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "You like it, huh?" she cawed.

"Yeah."

"You ain't seen nothing, yet. Follow me, and stick close, okay?"

"Yes, ma'a---" Bikky was rendered speechless when she turned around revealing that there was basically no back to her outfit except a silky black thong which parted the globes of her bare buttocks.

"Go on, Bik," said Dee, with a smirk. "I'll be right there with Linda, as soon as I find her."

Bikky flashed him a quick grin before scampering off after Miri's shapely form.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

They exited The North Pole more than two hundred dollars richer, and just as they got outside, Dee's cell phone rang. He looked at the call display. "Whew," he said to Bikky. "It's Ryo. Good timing huh? I'm glad he didn't call while we were in the club. That bump and grind music would've been a dead giveaway." Bikky nodded and Dee said, "Yo, Ryo!" into the phone.

"Dee, it's almost nine. Please tell me you're close to home."

"Well, not exactly. The brat's been having a good night, moneywise-- Hey Bikky! How much are we at?"

"Five forty-five."

"Hear that Ryo? He's pulled in over five hundred bucks. Pretty good, huh?" There was a pause. "You wanna talk to him? Hey Bikky, talk to Ryo." Dee handed him the phone and listened to Bikky explaining that his homework was at least half completed because he had gotten some of it done with Carol before dinner.

Bikky was somewhat subdued when he finally handed the phone back to Dee. Dee assured Ryo that they would be home in less than half an hour. "And we're hungry," he added. "Right, Bikky?"

Bikky nodded enthusiastically. He was starving, as a matter of fact.

"Okay babe. Love you." Dee snapped the phone closed and put it away. "He's making us some soup," he informed Bikky.

"I hope it's not cream of celery," said Bikky, who was looking a little down.

"How much homework you got left?"

"Four pages of math and the conclusion of my book report. It's about 45 minutes worth if I _don't_ do a totally kick-ass job on it."

"You'll get it done. You should try to start on it the minute you get home, though. Let me know if you need some help."

"Okay. Thanks."

Dee tried not to grin. That was the second 'thanks' he had gotten from Bikky that evening. One more and he would know for sure that he was in the Twilight Zone. "So are you all ready for your interview with the Queens police tomorrow?"

"I s'pose so." Bikky looked uncomfortable. "Apparently they're coming to the 27th to meet with us."

"Did Ryo tell you anything about what to expect?"

"No, he never tells me anything unless he wants me to do something for him like run down a missing witness." Bikky kicked at a McDonald's wrapper.

"Now that's not fair," Dee said. "It was only one time and it was only Eddie. Ryo was worried about him. It sure would have been better for everybody if Eddie could have just stayed alive." He sighed, and so did Bikky. "Anyway," he continued. "I can't tell you anything about tomorrow, but I'll give you a heads up on two important points. You listening to me?"

"Yeah," said Bikky, forgetting to act nonchalant. Dee did in fact have his undivided attention.

"All right then. First, get ready to be surprised when they question you, and not in a good way. There are a couple of things you don't know and when they pitch 'em at you, you're gonna probably be upset. Second, the chick who's gonna question you has a really nice rack. They move when she breathes and it's really hard not to look. So be prepared and don't stare, especially in front of Carol. Okay? Now don't say I never give you any good advice."

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&

end of chapter 31

Additional author's notes: So far I am trying to refrain from being too specific about Bikky's neighborhood. It seems to me that NYC has changed a lot over the past five or ten years, and is still changing. Therefore, the dangerous neighborhood I pick today could be a cleaned up yuppie area in a few years. I'm hoping that this story will be able to withstand the years without sounding too hopelessly dated in the future.

Thanks to loki_the_fraud for all the great info! I made the Empire State building lights blue just for you.


	32. Chapter 32

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 32_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. No sex or violence. There's hardly any foul language, either. This chapter has been scrubbed with soap and an abrasive sponge. Darn, eh? (That little 'eh' was just to remind you all that I'm Canadian!)

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Detectives Tina Greenspan, Scott Saunders, Eliza Austen and James Chang are mine, however)

Author's notes: Once again, LEO is an acronym that refers to Law Enforcement Officer, not a sign of the zodiac. Thank you to all the nice people who have come to visit me on my LJ page to comment, and give feedback and encouragement! There are more author's notes at the end of the chapter.

Thank you to Mtemplar for the awesome beta-work. She went fishing for mistakes and caught several large and small ones, which I was then able to correct before presenting this chapter for public consumption.

Thanks to baleikura for help with legal stuff. If there are any mistakes in there, it's my fault, not hers because I did some of the research on my own. I'm grateful to both of you!

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 32_

Ryo looked in through the Chief's open door and knocked lightly on it to get his attention. The Chief looked up and said, "Yeah, Randy?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec, Chief?"

"Sure. Come on in. Close the door."

Ryo did so and took a seat in front of the Chief's desk.

"What's on your mind? And whatever it is, make it quick, 'cause I have to chew out Chang and Austen in about ten minutes."

"No problem," said Ryo, wondering what James and Eliza had done to piss off the Chief and if they knew what they were in for. "I'll get right to it. You know how yesterday the doctor ordered Dee to stay home for a couple of days? Well, he didn't stay home. He went to see Detective Shaver in the Bronx. Shaver had called in sick two days running and he wasn't answering our calls."

"He's not dead like your other witness, is he?"

"No, not as of yesterday afternoon, but it could happen any day now. He's living his life on very thin ice." Ryo quickly told the Chief about what had happened while Dee was at Ned Shaver's apartment and about the big meeting that Essien Ibo had ordered Shaver to attend on Wednesday night.

"He's willing to wear a wire, and I'm hoping we can come up with enough incentive for him to do that as soon as tomorrow night. It's possible that Frank Rizzo is about to form an alliance with the Stone Bloods, and Shaver could get us right inside whatever's going down. He also claims Abernathy is working with the Dyre Street Devils now. If that's true, it might be that he's changing the way he operates so that instead of having lots of operatives and smaller gains, he can make more money on fewer, but larger deals. But all that aside, my top priority is still gaining access to Abernathy's other dirty NYPD operatives through his street contacts. And for that, Shaver is all we've got at present."

"I got that yesterday, Randy. So what's the problem? He won't cooperate?"

"He refuses point blank to do jail time.He wants the standard deal for informants. But the Commissioner is dead set on him going to prison. We have nothing we can threaten him with that would stand up in court. The Devils want him dead and the Stone Bloods consider him to be highly expendable. Abernathy has been holding him at arm's length since we started taking an interest in him, and in fact, I think Abernathy would probably breathe a little easier if Shaver were to _stop_ breathing."

"I see your point," the Chief said thoughtfully. "But...you heard the Commissioner yesterday. He's determined that this guy ain't gonna get a free pass out of jail. He's not your run-of-the-mill informant, see. He happens to be a cop. The NYPD can't have it said that we go easy on our own, and that's where the Commissioner is coming from. I see _his_ point too. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Talk to him for us, Chief. I know the Commissioner expects us to lie to Shaver and tell him he's got a deal when really he hasn't, but Dee won't do that and neither will I. There's a very strong possibility that Shaver will get whacked during the course of our investigation, in which case, he may never be able to collect on the no-jail deal anyway. It would be great if he could stay alive long enough to testify for us, but even if he doesn't, he can lead us to some other contacts that are connected to Abernathy. Right now,Shaver is our only link to Abernathy."

"The Commissioner is going to say he expects you to get the info you need from surveillance."

"Chief, it's possible that the Commissioner doesn't realize how long that's going to take. We can't tap Abernathy's phone, we can't bug his apartment, and we can't even put a GPS device on his vehicle unless we get a warrant. And we simply don't have sufficient grounds at this early stage of the game to apply for one. You know that no judge is gonna give us one until we get something a little more concrete. Of course, we don't need a warrant to park in front of his apartment, but since he's on to us, he'll be watching for that.We've lost the element of surprise."

The Chief nodded, frowning. "What about phone records? Any of his contacts come up from that?"

Ryo shook his head. "US Cellular sent copies of his billing records yesterday. He's only ever made sporadic calls to his home number, his office number, a painting company and a flower shop from the number he gave us. I'm sure it's a secondary cell phone that he never uses for his business dealings."

"How about his home phone?"

"I'm expecting to get the fax from Verizon this morning, but they're being a little sticky, probably because of all the trouble they've been in recently. However, it's not like I'm asking for a pen register or a tap and trace. I guess I'll have to get a D-order if they continue to balk."

"The Commissioner said he'd sign an administrative subpoena for you, if you need one."

"That's good to know, but I hope it won't be necessary. I've always had a good relationship with Anna Darden and her staff over at Verizon. I told her I'd go through the warrant process later IF I get any worthwhile leads from the billing records. But I'll tell you right now that I don't think we're gonna get anywhere with those. If I were Abernathy, I wouldn't use a phone in my own name to make illicit calls."

"The Commissioner will be in after lunch. I'll talk to him then if you like, but I wouldn't get my hopes up, if I were you."

"Thanks, Chief. I know you'll do your best." Ryo got up to go.

"How's that idiot partner of yours feeling?"

"He's getting slowly better, sir. He'll be back to work in a few days, unless he finds _another_ way to risk his life between now and then. The doctor said he should forgo active duty until Friday at the earliest, and even then, he should be careful."

The Chief snorted."No reason he couldn't be in here doing paperwork, but I suppose a doctor's note is a doctor's note. By the way, Ted's on third shift today today, so Marty's available. Make sure you take him with you if you need to go out on any calls." The Chief looked at his watch. "If you run into Chang and Austen on your way back upstairs, would you tell that pair of lollygaggers that nine o'clock does NOT mean nine-oh-five or nine-ten?"

"Sure, Chief." Ryo went to the door and opened it, hoping for their sakes, that James and Eliza were there. They weren't.

"I'll get back to you this afternoon after I've talked to Commissioner Rose," the Chief said.

Ryo thanked him and left. On his way down the hall, he met a nervous-looking Eliza and James, who were both holding mugs of what looked and smelled like herbal tea. Ryo thought that was strange since he knew them both to be inveterate coffee-drinkers.

"Hey guys, Chief wants you to hurry up. What's that you're drinking?"

"This? Oh it's Eliza's special chamomile-lemongrass tea. It's supposed to be very calming and puts you in a spiritual space," said James glumly.

"And we need to be in a spiritual space because we're about to get screamed at by the Chief," added Eliza.

"What this tea really needs is a splash of vodka." James took a sip and grimaced. "I have some in my desk, you know."

"Come on, let's not add 'being late and drunk' to our list of crimes," said Eliza, tugging on James' arm.

"What did you guys do?" asked Ryo, but they were hurrying away from him.

"We arrested someone important by accident," James said over his shoulder.

"We'll tell you later," Eliza called.

Ryo headed back upstairs, feeling rather guiltily relieved that there was once more going to be shouting issuing from the Chief's office, but that this time, it had nothing to do with him and Dee. The busybodies of the building would soon be buzzing with the details of this newest transgression by members of Lieutenant Smith's CI Division. He saw that he needn't have worried so much about Abernathy's loud accusations yesterday morning. That news was already starting to fade, and everyone else either had new gossip on their minds, or their own problems to worry about.

When he walked into the CI room to check the fax machine, Drake hailed him.

"Hey Ryo, this yours?"He held up the multicolored bag from the day before. "One of the uniforms brought it up. He said you left it in Car One yesterday."

"Yeah, I guess I did. Thanks, Drake." Ryo accepted the bag and glanced inside it. The chocolate croissant from yesterday was still there. He lifted it out and regarded it dubiously. Someone had taken a bite out of it. Drake looked at him with ill-disguised hope.

"Don't want it?" he asked.

"Well, no."

"Can I have it, then?"

"Drake, it's not only leftover from yesterday, but someone-- not me-- already sampled the merchandise!"

"Nothing wrong with day-old," said Drake, tugging the pastry out of Ryo's hand. It was not lost on Ryo that Drake hadn't even mentioned the fact that there was a bite taken out of it.He had a pretty good idea of who was responsible for that. Asking the perpetually hungry Drake to look after edible property was like hiring a mouse to guard a cheese factory. A large, voracious mouse.

"Where's JJ today?" he asked, because the knowledge that the bag he was holding contained a mug that had been chosen by JJ had brought the young sharpshooter to his mind.

"He's coming in later," Drake said, and then grinned at Ryo. "With him and Dee gone, it should be nice and peaceful around here, huh?"

Ryo agreed, and leaving Drake happily eating his day-old chocolate croissant, he carried the gift bag and his fax into his office. He had been right. The Verizon fax had arrived a short time ago. It was quite a big one, consisting of copies of the Abernathy household's phone statements for the last 12 months. All he needed now was for AT&T to hurry up and send the records for Mrs. Abernathy's cell phone. Ryo was a big believer in being thorough. He decided that Dee could have the job of going over the phone records, so he tucked the fax into his briefcase to make sure that it went home with him. For a moment, he looked uncertainly at the bag containing the tissue-wrapped mug, but felt no desire to open it. It would probably be a very good quality china mug with a tasteful pattern. He thought that perhaps he should have some tea in it... later. For now, he had work to do.

At about ten-thirty, Dee called him.

"Yo, Ryo. It's me. How come you didn't call me?"

"Well, I was going to call you in a bit, but I thought I'd let you sleep, since you so annoyingly changed your position every two minutes for most of the night as well as getting up to pee ninety-seven times."

"Heh. Sorry about that. I guess I shouldn't have drunk that Pepsi with Bikky. So...do ya miss me?"

"Yes, actually. Even though I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be pulling your weight if you were here."

"Ouch! But the point is that you miss me, right?"

"The point is that I've got a lot of paperwork and phone calls to take care of. We're getting behind on our other cases because of this Abernathy thing."

"Ooh, paperwork! My favorite. Too bad I'm not there to help you, huh?" Dee sounded smug.

"Don't you worry. I'm bringing some home for you."

"**What**? No fair! I don't wanna waste a sick day doing paperwork! If I have to work, I might as well be AT work where at least I could be with you."

"Dee, _I'm_ going to spend the evening doing paperwork, so you might as well help me."

Dee heaved an aggrieved sigh. "Well, if you put it like that, what choice do I have? By the way, Green-Wood called and they want you to call back to confirm details about the funeral. And some Pakistani-sounding guy called to say that Bikky's suit will be ready this afternoon."

"Thanks. I don't know when I'm going to have time to pick that up...I have to fetch Bikky and Carol from school at three fifteen and bring them here for questioning, and I don't know how long that's going to take."

"Why don't I pick them up for you?"

"You're supposed to be resting."

"Ryo...I'm coming in anyway. Carol called me and she wants me to be there."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, apparently, her aunt can't make it, and she's afraid that if they question her and Bikky separately, she'll be all alone and she's feeling a little scared."

"Why should she be scared? I'll be there, and so will a couple of child advocates from Youth Services. Plus, she hasn't done anything to be ashamed of."

"Ryo, she's been through the system before, and she doesn't have a whole lot of trust. She said she knows they're gonna try and intimidate her by bringing up her past. When they question the kids separately, you'll be going with Bikky. She wants someone that she feels is in her corner."

"Okay, I understand." Ryo felt a pang of self-recrimination for not considering how Carol might be feeling about this whole thing. She and Bikky had grown up thinking of the police as bad guys, and just because they were now involved with a couple of 'safe' ones didn't mean that their deeply-ingrained wariness had suddenly dissipated. It would take time. "In that case, you might as well pick Bikky and Carol up. We're all meeting at three forty-five. Do you think you can be on time?"

"What, like I've never been on time before? Don't worry about a thing! We'll even get the suit on the way back if there's time. Hey, did you talk to the Chief about talking to Rose?"

"Yeah, but we won't get an answer until this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have something to tell you when I see you."

"Okay, I'll let you go then. Love you."

"Bye, Dee."

"Wait! Don't you love me?"

Ryo smiled. "Of course I do. Madly. But I'm not saying it at work."

"Madly is good enough for me. Ciao, baby."

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- With difficulty, Detective Shaver heaved the bag of garden fertilizer into his trunk. It was only 25 lbs, but he still felt as weak as a kitten. He hoped Sheila appreciated this. It really would have been better for him to wait until he had his strength back, but events were marching toward him at a faster pace than he would have liked. In about 36 hours he'd be standing in a warehouse with Ibo and the Stone Bloods and Frankie Rizzo's gang, which bore the somewhat ironic name of 'Corporate America'. He personally felt that Rizzo was rather too high for Ibo's touch, but the Stone Bloods' dramatic increase in market share over the last year had given Ibo ideas above his station. At first he had thought that Rizzo must be temporarily down on his luck to even contemplate doing a deal with an upstart gang like them. After giving it a little more consideration, however, he had come to the conclusion that what Rizzo and Ibo were planning was so damn chancy that Rizzo was only prepared to cut in the Stone Bloods on the condition that they assumed 90 percent of the risk and took the fall if it all went down the tubes. So far, Ibo had been downplaying the dangers and had only talked about the enormous gains to be had. The man had gambled and won before -- that was how he had gotten where he was in the relatively short time he had been leading his gang. If the police or the Devils showed up though, there would be shooting and mayhem. Shaver didn't think there would be any trouble from the police, but the Devils had to be cognizant of the fact that that Ibo and Rizzo had been talking. Any amalgamation between them would spell doom for the Devils, and well they knew it. Shaver was aware that they had been tailing him. Surely Ibo must be conscious of that too. Hopefully he had some kind of plan to prevent any gate crashing on the 31st. In any case, Shaver thought, he might not survive Wednesday night intact, so it was now or never for Sheila's gardening supplies.

After stopping to pick up a few groceries, Shaver noticed, when he restarted his car, that he was getting low on gas. At a nearby service station, he filled his tank, inwardly cursing the price of fuel. Goddammit, what the hell had that whole war in Iraq been for, if a man STILL had to practically put a whole day's net pay into his fucking gas tank? Maybethose hybrid car companies were onto something. Diesel was making a comeback, too. He checked the price of diesel and nodded to himself. That would be good to know for later. Just then his cell phone rang. It was Kevin.

"Dad! Mom says you're coming over tonight!"

"Yeah, that's right, Kev. I'll be there after dinner, just for a little while. You home for lunch?"

"Yeah, but I gotta hurry back to school in a minute. Dad, guess what? I got ninety percent on my Social Studies test today. I can't wait to show you."

Detective Shaver felt that familiar combination of love, pride, fear and sorrow that always filled him nowadays whenever he heard Kevin's enthusiastic voice or was otherwise faced with evidence of the boy's affectionate nature. His son needed him; he knew that. And he felt like the world's biggest asshole. Worse even than Essien Ibo, dedicated family man and all-round murderous, drug-dealing criminal. At least Ibo was up front with his kids about who and what he was, even if he didn't give them the details. He didn't have to live in fear of seeing the love and trust die out of his children's eyes when they found out what a fraud their father was. Shaver forced himself to smile, even though Kevin couldn't see him. "I'm proud of you, son. That's a big improvement. You've really brought your grades up recently."

Suddenly Sheila's shrill voice came on the line, saying, "And his grades would be even better if you would just spring for a tutor! Now that he's quit going to his art classes, you should have a bit of extra cash lying around."

The blood instantly rushed to his face, like it always did when Sheila started nagging him, and in fact the anger was a welcome replacement for the feelings of sick self-recrimination that he had just been awash in.

As Ned and his ex-wife continued their long established habit of berating each other over the phone, neither was aware when the innocent pleasure on Kevin's face was suddenly replaced by misery. He wondered for the hundredth time why his parents couldn't just be polite to each other, never mind friendly.

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- At a little before two o'clock, JJ burst into Ryo's office with such suddenness that Ryo nearly dropped the phone. JJ's excited look faded as his searching eyes gave him the information that the person he most wished to see was not in the room. Ryo knew very well what he wanted. He finished up his call and greeted JJ.

"Hello JJ. How are you doing?"

"Oh fine, fine. Is Dee in the building?"

"No, he has to stay home because of his stitches and concussion."

"Oh." JJ couldn't hide his disappointment. "Is he all right, though? Did he take a turn for the worse or something?"

"Well, he popped one of his stitches yesterday, so he has to take it easy for a couple of days and give himself a chance to heal."

"What? He popped a stitch? OH MY GOD! Was he bleeding?" Stricken, JJ wrung his hands.

"JJ, you saw him right after he did it. When you brought his jacket down to parking, remember?" Ryo tried to be patient.

"Really? That was when he popped his stitch?"

"Yeah, and he was basically fine, remember? But now he's got a doctor's note, so he's off today. Probably tomorrow too."

JJ nodded, looking somewhat mollified. "I'll give him a call later and see how he's feeling. Hey," he said as his eyes fell on the gift bag. "How come you're not using your mug?"

"Oh...well, I..."

"You didn't even unwrap it," JJ said softly, pulling out the tissue-wrapped mug.

"I was going to...I've been so busy today without Dee here that I wanted to wait."

"I'll save you the trouble." JJ tore off the pink tissue and banged the mug down in front of Ryo. "There it is. But you probably hate it, don't you?"

He swept out, looking hurt. Ryo watched him go, feeling slightly guilty but not really seeing why he should. He picked up the mug and looked at it. It really was quite beautiful. Bone china with pink and blue flowers on it in a close pattern. A total chick mug. The perfect mug for a gay man. He too banged it back down on the desk, feeling irritated with Dee. Why the hell did Dee have to get JJ to pick out a mug for him? He should have done it himself. He was pretty sure Dee wouldn't have chosen such a 'pretty' cup. Or would he? Ryo knew that the more he thought about it, the more resentful he would get, so he threw himself back into work instead. He was able to cross a couple more items off his lengthy to-do list before the next interruption occurred in the form of a summons to attend the Commissioner.

He glanced up from a phone conversation with a contact from an assault case he was working on to see Drake walking in with a note in his hand. The note read, 'Commish wants to see you. Now.'

Five minutes later, he was knocking on the Commissioner's door, hoping for good news.

"Come in."

"Good afternoon, sir." Ryo walked in to find the Commissioner with his secretary Helen, rapidly applying his signature to papers that she thrust before him, one after the other.

"Good afternoon, Detective MacLean. As usual, I'm afraid I'm a little short on time, so I'll make this as brief as possible. Am I to understand that you and your partner have failed to secure the assistance of Detective Shaver from the 51st?"

Ryo tried to quell the irritation that had flared up in him at the Commissioner's use of the word 'fail'.

"Detective Shaver is insufficiently motivated by the prospect of two to five, sir."

"I believe the instructions I gave you were to make him believe that a deal could be worked out." He turned his head toward Helen, and said, "That will be all for now, Helen. Would you please be so kind as to get me a cup of coffee? Thank you."

Ryo had always been surprised that the Commissioner had chosen Helen as his personal secretary at the 27th. For a man who liked to be surrounded by beautiful things and people, it must be difficult for him to look at Helen's plain, middle-aged face and thick-waisted form. Of course she was extremely good at her job, and performance did matter to Commissioner Rose.

"And is that true, sir? CAN a deal be worked out for him?" Despite the fact that this interview was not going terribly well so far, Ryo still felt a little bit of hope.

"I thought I had made myself clear on that yesterday, Detective. Real informants get deals. Not rogue cops."

"Sir, Shaver has far more to fear from the gangs he's dealing with than he does from us. He's being blackmailed by a senior officer and he's willing to help us if we help him. The DA said we can't proceed against him on the little we've got. The fact is that we have nothing real to hold over Shaver."

The Commissioner pushed his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose and gave Ryo a piercing look.

"Then _get_ something, Ryo," he said in a voice that, although soft, was drenched in authority. "Or I'll put this case in the hands of someone who knows how to get results. Is that clear?"

Ryo's face flushed with resentment. "Sir, as LEOs, we stand or fall on our integrity, and I'm not prepared to play by dirty rules, just because the bad guys are. If you've got a candidate in mind who's willing to lie, cheat and scheme for you, then you might as well hand over the case to him right now. Because I will not operate that way, and neither will Dee."

For a moment, he thought that the Commissioner was going to rake him over the coals for insubordination, but then in the next moment, Rose just sighed and beckoned him closer.

"Ryo, Ryo, what am I going to do with you? Sit down for a minute please."

Ryo obeyed uncomfortably.

"You're still a young man," Rose continued. "You've been an NYPD Detective for less than three years. You have yet to be tested in _all_ the ways that this job can test a man. There are days when you feel like a hero and days when it just grinds down your humanity and you wonder why anyone bothers."

Ryo was silent. He regretted his earlier outburst and wasn't going to open his mouth again unless it was absolutely necessary.

"What I'm trying to say here, Ryo, is that I do agree with you that integrity is an essential characteristic for the members of any police force. If not, we get Lieutenant Abernathys and Detective Shavers using their state-sanctioned power to make the world a worse, rather than better, place."

Ryo looked cautiously at the Commissioner. A few minutes ago he had felt that, ideologically, they were poles apart. But now the Commissioner seemed to be closing that distance again.

"Integrity is not something that should be hard and unyielding. What is hard and brittle can be broken, either all at once, or a little at a time. I've seen that happen to men like you, Ryo. Your honor and your honesty are like armor that you wear every day, in all areas of your life. It would be helpful if you could bring yourself to perceive that just as the mind and body should be flexible, so should the integrity. If it can bend, it will not break. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"I - I think so, sir."

"I'll leave it to you to find your own balance on this point. It's an individual thing after all. Ah! And here's my coffee. Thank you very much, Helen. I'm ready to resume signing that stack of papers now."

Ryo understood the meeting to be finished, and stood up to go, whereupon the Commissioner thanked him for his time. "Ryo, I feel we understand each other a bit better now. I confidently leave the matter of the investigation of Lieutenant Abernathy in your hands. Please let me know of any updates as they occur."

"Thank you, sir. I'll certainly keep you informed."

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- It was quite clear to Bikky that the chick with the big tits had the hots for Ryo. What was her name? Detective Greenwood? No, that was the funeral place in Brooklyn. Well, her name was Green-something. He was feeling nervous about the upcoming questioning session, but so far, she was acting nice. He didn't like the guy she had brought with her, though. He looked and sounded like an asshole, and although he hadn't yet had the chance do anything assholian, Bikky figured it was just a matter of time.

He gathered that the plan was to question him and Carol separately first, then together, then separately again, if need be. There were a couple of Youth Services reps there, to act as advocates. One of them, Mrs. Abrams, he recognized from the old days when he had once gotten caught running a small racket on bike parts. The other one was a youngish, dweeby guy who seemed to be some kind of trainee.

"Well," the chick detective said brightly, "Let's get started, shall we? Bikky, why don't you and your dad go into room two, and Carol, you follow Detective Saunders into room one. We'll all meet up again in about twenty minutes or half an hour, okay?"

Carol looked at Bikky in an unhappy, hunted sort of way, moving him to give her hand a quick squeeze before she was taken off to the other room. Asshole guy and Mrs. Abrams went with her, but so did Dee, Bikky noted, so he didn't have to worry. Dee was a Dorkhead, but he was a good guy to have in your corner. He would take care of Carol.

Ryo and the chick with the rack led him into a little room with a table, four chairs and one barred window with really grimy glass. Dweeby guy followed silently.

Hot detective chick was the first to speak. "Bikky", she said, "You seem like a very smart boy and I believe you know why we need to question you today."

"Yeah," he said. "You wanna talk about Eddie. What was your name again?"

"I'm Detective Greenspan," she said.

"Greenspan, got it."

"Now, Bikky, please tell me whatever you know about the events leading up to Eddie's unfortunate death last Saturday morning."

Bikky went through it for her to the best of his abilities, even though it wasn't strictly in the best chronological order. Reassured by the solid presence of Ryo at the table with him, he told the lady detective about what a great guy Eddie had always been, and how Eddie got into some trouble when a working girl OD'd in his presence and he had to run because he thought the police were going to blame him. Later, Eddie had learned from Ryo that the police didn't think it was a straight OD and that it was possible that the drugs had been cut with something deadly that had been intended for Eddie, not Tamara.

"My dad offered him police protection, but he didn't take it," he told her.

Detective Greenspan looked doubtfully from Ryo to Bikky. "Does your dad always discuss his cases with you?" she asked in some surprise.

"No," said Bikky, belatedly realizing that he might be getting Ryo in trouble. "He never tells me anything, even when it would be better for me to know."

"Well then, how do you know these things?"

"I was with Eddie in Queens when he had the phone conversation with my dad. We talked about it after."

"Oh." Detective Greenspan seemed relieved. "Was that the last time you saw Eddie alive?"

"No." Bikky looked pensively at the table for a moment. "I saw him late on Friday night when he met me at Jamaica Station. I didn't know at that time I'd...I'd never see him again."

"What was the purpose of your being with Eddie on both of those nights?"

Bikky answered carefully, instinctively knowing that he shouldn't mention that Ryo had asked him to find Eddie. "I knew Eddie was on the run. The whole street was buzzing with it. He needed help, and I was pretty sure I could find him, so I went looking for him on Thursday."

"What kind of help were you planning to offer him?"

"Whatever he needed. I didn't know what he needed until I found him. I called my dad on my cell phone and put Eddie on. I was hoping my dad could help him, too."

"Was it that night that Eddie asked you to take the cookware set home with you?"

"Yeah, I already told you that. He gave me his passwords. I was supposed to check if he had any buyers, take care of the sale, and ship it wherever."

"How were you planning to get the money to Eddie?"

"I wasn't. He had a Paypal account, or something like that. I don't really understand eBay. He woulda known how to get the money. He was pretty smart that way. But when I got home, I found we had a sale already. It was cash for delivery, and it was even in Queens, so he didn't have to risk coming back downtown. That was pretty good news for Eddie because it meant he could drop the stuff off, get some cash and get the hell out of town."

"And when you saw him on Friday, it was to give him the cookware set back again, right?"

"Right."

"Approximately what time was that?"

Suddenly Bikky wished that Ryo wasn't in the room with him. He gave his foster-dad a sidelong glance. Unfortunately Ryo had that sharp look on his face that meant he was going to get the truth out of him no matter what. He sighed, resigned. "Late. Like eleven thirty pm."

"Bikky!" Ryo was shocked. "You didn't tell me that before!"

"Uhh...You didn't ask?" Bikky leaned away from Ryo, looking apologetic and nervous.

"Does the concept of being grounded mean nothing to you? What do I have to do, put a GPS chip into your cell phone?"

"Ryo, I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been really important! You know I missed my basketball team's victory party on that night. I didn't go all the way out to Queens and back with all those late night weirdoes on the train because it was FUN, you know!"

"We'll talk about this later," said Ryo darkly. "Please continue, Detective Greenspan."

"Bikky, you've told me how much you liked Eddie, and how good he was to you and the other kids. Did he have any enemies that you know about, anyone that might dislike him enough to want to kill him?"

"Eddie didn't have that many enemies. But he sold drugs on the street for a couple of different guys. If someone wanted to kill him, it was probably about drugs."

"Do you know who those guys are?"

"Yeah," said Bikky. "One of 'em is a cop." He glanced briefly at Ryo, who was looking a little surprised. "And no my dad didn't tell me that. Eddie did."

"Did he give you a name?"

"No, he said it was better if I didn't know too much. He was pretty scared at that point, though. But I heard him say the name 'Mike' when he was talking on the phone to my dad."

"Do you have any idea who the other guy he sold drugs for was?"

"No," said Bikky, although he did. Eddie had sold for a lot of guys over the years, most recently Tony Elliot, but Tony hadn't killed Eddie. Bikky was sure of that. Tony just wasn't a killer. That's why he wasn't very successful in his chosen business, kind of like Bikky's first dad. He sighed at that old memory. "I really didn't see Eddie that often once I started living with Ryo, so I don't know what's been going on his life recently."

Detective Greenspan seemed to accept that. "Let's talk about the eBay sale, Bikky. Specifically, the person who wanted to buy the cookware."

In the room next door, Detective Saunders was looking skeptically at Carol, a slight sneer on his face. "Yeah, right, tell me another one, Honey," he said, as he shook a menthol cigarette out of a soft pack and lit it. "This Calvetti guy was so well-known on the street and yet it comes as a big surprise to you that he was selling the stuff he stole on eBay?"

"Detective Saunders," said Mrs. Abrams sternly. "Would you mind not smoking? This is a small and airless room and cigarette smoke isn't good for anyone's lungs, including yours." Opposite them, Carol coughed softly, as if for emphasis.

Detective Saunders glared at both of them and opened his mouth as though he were about to say something. He hesitated a little too long, so Dee reached over and, plucking the cigarette out of his fingers, stubbed it out firmly in the middle of the other man's notepad.

"Hey buddy, let's not pollute the girl's youthful lungs, okay? She has to answer your questions, but it ain't mandatory that she get cancer in the process."

Detective Saunders shot Dee a look of hostility, but decided to let the matter of the cigarette go, as the child advocate woman was nodding in satisfaction and the little teenage bitch was smiling behind her hand. "Damn right she's gotta answer them," he growled.

"One more thing." Carol, emboldened by Dee's ready defense of her, held up one finger. "My name is Carol, not 'Honey'."

"Whatever," Detective Saunders returned in a tone of bored dislike. "So you maintain that you didn't know anything about Mr. Calvetti's eBay activities until your friend-" he brushed the ashes off his notepad and looked at what was written there- "your friend 'Bikky', another little model citizen like yourself, told you about it."

"That's right. I've been away from that neighborhood for a few years, so I haven't exactly been keeping up on what all the people in it have been doing."

"Well I would think that as a former _shoplifter_ yourself, you would have a professional interest in a new way of transforming stolen merchandise into cash."

"Detective Saunders, you'd better be going somewhere with this," warned Mrs. Abrams.

Carol flushed at hearing herself referred to as a shoplifter. Why was he being so mean? She had worked hard to leave those days behind her. This questioning session was turning out much worse than she had feared it would be. But she had to try to defend herself. "I don't know why you don't believe me," she protested. "And I don't understand why the eBay thing is even important."

"This woman, 'Cindy', whom you exchanged emails with, did you know her?"

"No, of course not, why would I?"

"You know what, 'Carol'?" Detective Saunders pronounced her name with exaggerated politeness. "This time I believe you."

"Well, finally," she said.

"And you know why? It's because there is _no such person as Cindy_."

"Hunh?" Carol was confused. She didn't understand the inference right away, but she knew it was significant because Detective Saunders was looking at her with a nasty kind of light in his eyes, and Dee was sympathetically squeezing her shoulder.

"Don't bother playing games with me, _Carol_. I think you know damn well that that was the murderer you were exchanging emails with."

"What?" gasped Carol, turning pale. "You mean-- You mean-- Th-that person wanted a meeting with Eddie so they could k-kill him? Dee!" She turned to Dee, her face anguished. He knew that she had suddenly understood her unwitting role in Eddie's death.

"Be strong, Princess," he murmured. "Remember, you haven't done anything wrong." He flashed a look at Detective Saunders that promised a shitkicking if the man didn't settle down.

Detective Saunders didn't catch that look because his attention was solely focused on Carol. "Don't think I'm buying this 'little Miss Innocent' act of yours, Honey. As far as the police are concerned, you're the one who set up Mr. Calvetti's murder. I believe you know exactly who killed him. And if you know that, then you're an accomplice! Now I think you'd better come clean with us before you get in even deeper trouble than what you're already in."

In the room next door, Detective Greenspan was waiting for Bikky to answer her latest question.

"What?" he asked. "What the hell are you saying? That's bullshit!"

"Bikky," Ryo warned mildly, but his heart wasn't really in any remonstrances with Bikky over the subject of bad language today. He was dreading the next few moments when Bikky would put two and two together.

"Bikky, I'm afraid it's the truth. The murderer knew exactly where to find Eddie, and at what time. How could he or she have known that, if not from your email?"

"But Detective Greenrack! I - I mean Greenspan. Didn't his enemies just follow him?"

"How would they have known where to follow him from? He was hiding. They had to lure him out."

"Oh shit," Bikky whispered, his skin going that peculiar shade of grey that Ryo recognized meant nausea and potentially imminent vomiting.

"Bikky," Ryo said gently. "Are you going to be all right?"

For a moment there was no sound in the room except for the rapid scribbling of the trainee child advocate's pencil on his notepad. Then Bikky raised blazing eyes to Ryo's face.

"You KNEW this! Didn't you? You knew this and you didn't tell me!"

"Bikky, I --"

Just then, they heard a female voice scream from the adjoining room, "No! No! Quit saying that! I didn't kill him! You bastard!" and then the sound of sobbing. This was followed by male and female shouting, and the scrape and crash of furniture being overturned.

"Carol!" Bikky jumped to his feet, adrenaline surging through his bloodstream, and ran out of the room, with Ryo and Detective Greenspan right behind him. He flung open the door of questioning room one to see Carol standing by the table, shaking all over and with tears running down her face. The other Queens detective lay on the floor with one leg propped up on a fallen chair. He had a bloody nose, and Dee was standing over him with his fists clenched. Mrs. Abrams was yelling at both of them.

"Bikky!" Carol cried and ran into his arms. He held her close, his own nausea and horror forgotten in his need to comfort her. How dare they upset her and make her cry? It looked like Dorkhead had done something about it, though. For a moment, a great positive feeling of gratitude toward Dee welled up in him.

"Dee! What the hell happened?" Ryo surveyed the scene with shocked eyes.

"Oh my God, Scott, are you okay?" Detective Greenspan dropped down on one knee beside him and produced a couple of tissues, which she used to dab at the blood that was dripping down over his mouth. "What the hell did you do, you idiot?" she muttered under her breath angrily.

"I'LL tell you what he did," exclaimed Mrs. Abrams indignantly. "I've never seen such unprofessional behavior in my life! You'll all be lucky if that girl's aunt doesn't sue! He harassed and badgered her until she was all but ready to say she committed murder just to make him stop. And that one there - " she pointed accusingly at Dee - "gave THIS one a bloody nose, while making liberal use of the most appalling language I've ever heard! My goodness, I thought the table was going to come down on all of us. It was like being trapped in a cage with a couple of wild animals!"

A small crowd had gathered and necks were craning to see what had happened. Ryo felt a small, determined hand pressing against his arm; he looked down and saw that it belonged to Janet. With her usual unerring nose for gossip and scandal, she had managed to be the first on the scene. But in the next moment he was glad of her presence because there she was, soothing and comforting Mrs. Abrams, sympathizing with her frightening experience and making offers of tea and a quiet place to catch her breath. Drake was there too, loudly asking everyone to move back and give them all some space. Ryo's eyes met Dee's across the short distance that separated them. Dee had just caused a scene and had evidently punched out one of their guests from the 99th Precinct. But judging from Carol's tears as well as Mrs. Abrams' outraged account of events, it appeared there may have been some justification. He saw that Dee seemed to be swaying slightly on his feet and his hand was once more on his left side where there was still a bandage covering his injury. Ryo stepped forward quickly and put a hand under his arm.

"Are you gonna faint?" he asked quietly.

"No, no, don't worry," Dee replied. "I just got a little lightheaded when I got up to teach that sonofabitch a lesson, that's all, and now I've got a totally bitchin' headache. And Ryo?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I may have popped another stitch."

Ryo shook his head. "Dammit, Dee. Couldn't you go just ONE day without having to punch someone out?"

"Dude, I promise I won't punch anyone out tomorrow. Now get me the hell outta here. Please?"

In all the confusion, no one noticed right away that Bikky and Carol had disappeared.

End of chapter 32

Additional author's notes: Most people probably don't have any real degree of interest in whether or not Ryo needed a warrant to get Abernathy's phone records, but I did a fair bit of research on the topic. I learned that legally, there is a big difference between 'records' and 'content'. Content is considered private, but stored records are not. LEOs can ask phone companies to let them look at billing records without going through the warrant process, and that the phone companies can then say yes or no. The individual whose records were given out can then, if he wishes, sue the telephone provider, but a lot of people have lost such lawsuits because the stored records of such service providers are not deemed private under the Fourth Amendment.

I want to emphasize that I am by no means an expert! If anyone would like to see the address of the websites I obtained this info from, then I'll be happy to post them.

Thanks for reading!


	33. Chapter 33

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 33_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Um... 'Mature', I guess. Read on to find out how mature.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Detectives Tina Greenspan and Scott Saunders are mine, however)

Author's notes: For those who perhaps don't remember, at the end of chapter 23, I mentioned that Dee had received an earlier concussion in the prequel to this story. Even one concussion is serious, but two, especially within a relatively short period of time can be quite dangerous. Also, I have chosen 'O'Neill' for Ted's last name because that's his name in the RPG Fake Second Chances, which you may remember me gushing about in these pages before. I just adore that character. He always makes me laugh! (Kudos to Ted's player) I have received permission to use that name, but I just want to make it clear that it's not canon. Sanami Matoh has not, thus far, given Ted a last name.

Thank you to Mtemplar for her most welcome beta-help.

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 33_

Ryo was able to get Dee back to their shared office, but their peace was short-lived. He had no sooner gotten Dee settled into his chair than Ted appeared, sounding slightly out of breath.

"All hell's breaking loose down there, guys," he informed them. "The Chief is busy raking your guests from Queens over the coals in his office and next he's gonna talk to that woman from Child Services. He told me to tell you not to go anywhere."

"But Dee needs medical attention!" Ryo protested.

"So does that surly-looking bastard from the 99th. He's actually got blood all over his shirt, but the chief won't let him go until he's done with him, either."

"Dee's condition is more serious. He's on his second concussion in six weeks!"

"Let me put it another way. Chief said you guys were not to leave the building on pain of being busted down to traffic for two weeks."

Dee spoke. "He's bluffing. We're too busy right now. The department can't spare us."

"I don't think he's bluffing," Ryo said. "He'll just wait until things settle down and then we'll find ourselves back in uniform in the dog days of summer when there are holes in the traffic beat roster due to vacations. He's done it before. Remember?"

"Aw shit, you're right. Ryo, can I borrow your water bottle? I gotta take something." Dee scowled as he struggled with the childproof lid of his pain medication.

Ryo handed over his half-full bottle of Dasani, and held out his hand for the pill container, which he opened for him.

"Ted, can you do me a favor?" he asked. "Can you go find Bikky and his friend Carol? They were both pretty upset about the questioning session, and I lost sight of them after all those people crowded in."

"Yeah, sure. Should I bring them up here?"

"Yes, please. But take them past the vending machine first and pick up some soda and chips." Ryo handed Ted a ten-dollar bill. "Let them choose what they want."

"Okay, I'll be as quick as I can. And if the Chief calls you guys onto the carpet before I get back, I'll keep 'em busy."

"Thanks, man. I owe you one." Ryo smiled at him, relieved. Ted was good with kids, probably because he was like a big kid himself. If anyone could get Bikky and Carol laughing again, it was Ted.

Dee sat at his desk with his head pillowed in his arms and ignored the ringing phone. Ryo ignored it too, because he was on his own phone trying to call Bikky's cell for the third time. There was no answer. Either Bikky couldn't hear it ringing, or he didn't want to talk to him. Ryo suspected it was the latter. He knew Bikky was angry with him for withholding the information that he and Carol had unknowingly been communicating with the murderer, but there had been several good reasons for not telling him. First of all, it was the policy of every police force in the country that its members did not go home and discuss confidential cases with their family or friends. Secondly, he knew that Lieutenant Abernathy had already planted the suspicion in Detective Greenspan's mind that Bikky was somehow involved with the murder. Ryo had wanted her to see the genuine surprise on the kids faces when they learned that there was no Cindy. He also hadn't wanted them to go into their questioning session already believing that they were murder suspects. It was preposterous that anyone could believe that those two kids had participated in the set-up and murder of their friend. But it seemed that Detective Saunders, at least, seemed to think so, and how had he gotten that idea, if not from Detective Greenspan? Ryo began to think he had made a mistake in not retaining a lawyer for Bikky from the beginning. Carol probably needed a lawyer too. He wondered if her Aunt Elina could afford it.

He turned around and looked at Dee with concern. "Dee? Are you feeling any better?"

Dee just grunted in response.

"If the Chief hasn't called us in five minutes, I'm asking Drake to take you to a clinic, no matter what. This isn't right."

"Ryo, don't worry." Dee's voice was muffled by the crook of his arm. "I'm a tough guy, don't forget. This is only pain. I can handle a little pain."

Just then, Janet arrived at their door. "Don't you guys answer your phone? The Chief wants to see you right now."

They followed her down to the first floor, only half listening as she filled the short trip downstairs with light chatter about what had been going on in their brief absence. Halfway down the stairs, they met Detective Linda Ehrman, a tough talking veteran from Narcotics, whose eyes lit up at the sight of Dee. "Good on ya, Dee! You showed that bastard," she said approvingly, and gave him a high five.

Dee managed to summon up a cocky grin. "Gonna pay for it now, though."

"Good luck, buddy." She thumped him on the shoulder and continued on her way.

Janet knocked on the Chief's door, and then opened it for them at his response. As they entered, Detectives Greenspan and Saunders glanced up, looking apologetic and sullen, respectively.

The Chief took one look at the pallor of Dee's complexion and ordered Detective Greenspan out of her chair. Dee protested that he was fine, but the Chief told him to shut up and sit down.

"I'm trying to get to the bottom of the little circus you people have created in the 27th this afternoon," he growled. "Laytner, am I to understand that you're responsible for Detective Saunders' condition?"

"I'm responsible for his bloody nose, sir, which he totally deserved, but I'm not responsible for whatever pre-existing brain damage that he arrived here with."

"Can it! You ain't here to waste my time with insults; you're here so we can put this matter to bed as quietly as possible. Now Detective Saunders here, under some prodding from Sergeant Fedorov at the 99th, has admitted that he may be partially at fault in this matter and indicates that he's willing to apologize. _You_ are gonna do the same, do you understand me? Neither precinct wants a departmental inquiry. We're gonna call it a misunderstanding."

"What the hell? _**I**_ have to apologize when the precinct could potentially be sued by Carol's aunt because of the unprofessionalism of this--"

"I said quiet! Damn right you're gonna apologize, and you'd better do it quickly because you look almost as bad as he does, and I think you'd both better go see a doctor ASAP."

"You mean if I apologize, I can get the hell out of here?"

The Chief raised his eyes to the ceiling and then brought them back to Dee with promises of death, destruction and demotion in them.

"Okay, okay," Dee said hastily. "I'll apologize." He turned to Detective Saunders and offered him his hand. "I'm sorry that your scuzzball behavior made it necessary for me to--"

"DEE!" roared the Chief. Dee winced and clutched his head.

"Come on, hurry up and do it," Ryo muttered. "I need to go talk to Bikky."

Dee heaved a sigh of defeat and turned once again to Detective Saunders. This time he didn't offer his hand. "I apologize for hitting you," he said simply.

"Accepted," mumbled Detective Saunders, flushing. "I apologize too, for screwing up the questioning." Detective Greenspan nodded approvingly.

"Shake, boys," said the Chief in warning tones, and they obeyed with a lackluster handshake accompanied by a lack of eye contact.

"Okay, now I wanna talk to those kids," said the Chief. "Where are they?"

Ryo was just opening his mouth to reply, when someone knocked loudly on the door.

"Come in," called the Chief, and Ted entered looking worried. JJ stood just behind him in the open doorway.

"Yes, O'Neill?"

"It's Ryo's kid, sir. He's not in the building, and neither is the girl. Marianne said she saw a couple of kids matching their descriptions hurrying past the front desk about half an hour ago."

"Shit!" exclaimed Ryo and the Chief in unison. The chief recovered first. "Randy, go find him. Take O'Neill with you." He rounded on the two Queens Detectives, and added, "You two had better hope that we find those kids safe and sound. Right now they're running around thinking that they're gonna get charged with murder, thanks to one of the clumsiest and most inefficiently-conducted questioning sessions I've ever heard of."

Detective Greenspan spoke up quickly. "Lieutenant Smith, I would be happy to assist Detective MacLean in locating his son--"

"Forget it," snapped the Chief. "You're one of the bad guys, remember? If he sees you, he'll just hide. The best thing you can do is take your partner here to see a doctor."

"He's not my partner," Detective Greenspan replied quickly, with a venomous glance at her colleague, who sank slightly lower in his chair, the frown on his face more pronounced than it had been before. "_My_ partner will be back on Thursday, thank God."

"Yes, well, both of you get out of here and back to your own business. I'll notify Sergeant Fedorov that apologies have been exchanged. I expect a follow-up tomorrow in writing. You too, Dee. A written apology, and don't make MacLean write it for you!"

"Yes, sir." Dee got to his feet and swayed a little as he did so. This was not lost on the Chief.

"Adams!" he barked. "Take Laytner to the nearest clinic, then take him home."

"Wha--?" Dee looked in horror from the Chief to JJ and back again. He could have sworn that there was the faintest hint of retributory amusement on the Chief's face. He turned to Ryo, seeking support. "Ryo, I'm fine. Tell them!"

"No, you are not fine. Go with JJ and get your injury looked at. I'll call you later." Ryo turned away, looking distracted, and left the room with Ted.

"Come on, Mr. Perfect," said JJ happily. "I'll take care of you. We'll go to the clinic and then I'll cook you a nice dinner later, and clean your apartment for you, too!"

"Oh, Jesus..." Dee groaned. "I need a goddamned cigarette or five."

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- While Ted drove, Ryo was forced to call Carol's aunt and tell her what had happened. As he had expected, she was very upset and angry. He apologized several times and assured her that he and Ted would do their utmost to find Carol and bring her home safely. He also advised her to retain a lawyer for Carol as quickly as possible, and supplied her with a few names. Then he and Ted drove around to all Bikky's known favorite haunts in an ultimately fruitless effort to find the missing pair. Ryo called all of his foster son's friends' houses and spoke to a couple of parents who agreed to call him back if they saw Bikky, but mostly he just got answering machines. The majority of Bikky's friends had working parents.

As seven o'clock began to approach, Ryo became more and more worried. Ted gave him a sympathetic look.

"Why don't you go home for a bit?" he suggested. "The kid might well be there, but just not answering the phone. I'll keep looking for him."

"Home!" Ryo exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that? Maybe he's there, waiting for me. Maybe he's...doing his homework." He shook his head, frowning at his own briefly-raised hopes. "Oh, who am I kidding? He's pissed off at me. Home is the last place he'd go."

"Come on, let's give it a try. A wounded fox always returns to its den, or so they say. If he's not there, we can go right back out again, okay?"

Ryo agreed and let Ted drive him home. He unlocked the door of his apartment and preceded Ted inside, calling, "Bikky! Are you home?"

His only reply was silence, but the light was on in the bathroom and there was a mess in the kitchen, which hadn't been there when he left this morning, and that was a promising sign. This was perhaps the first time he could recall ever being happy to find a mess waiting for him in the kitchen.

"He's been here," he said to Ted. Further investigation revealed a note taped to the kettle that read, _'Ryo, I'm mad at you and I'm not coming home tonight. I'm staying over at Carols. Don't call me because I don't want to talk to you right now. CU 2morrow.'_

Ryo turned to Ted, relieved, and showed him the note.

"See, what did I tell ya?" Ted grinned happily and punched Ryo's arm, but stopped grinning when he saw Ryo wince. "Hey...sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, it's okay," Ryo said, embarrassed. "I went back to Karate last night for the first time in months, and I just happen to have a bruise there, that's all."

"You went back to Karate, huh? Good for you! I didn't actually know you'd stopped. Hard to get back into a sport when you've taken a break from it, huh?"

"Yeah," Ryo agreed, his mind on other things, such as lawyers, funerals, and whether or not Bikky would still be upset with him tomorrow. He started gathering up Bikky's dirty plates and peanut butter and jam-covered knives and then put the pile in the sink. He glanced at Ted, feeling he should offer him something, but at the same time, he also wanted to be alone so he could think.

Ted seemed to understand. "Well, Ryo, if you don't need me anymore, I guess the Badger would probably like me to come back to the Precinct."

"Ted, thanks for helping me look for Bikky." Ryo smiled at him. "I appreciate it, and normally I'd ask you to stay, but I think I'd better start phoning back all those people I worried."

Ted turned to go. "No problem, man. I'm on the clock anyhoo. I'm glad it ended well. Are you gonna call Dee? Last time I saw him, JJ was about to drag him off to a clinic. The Chief sure spanked him with that one, huh? JJ's probably giving him a sponge bath round about now! See you tomorrow afternoon." He snickered at his own wit and exited Ryo's apartment, but not before he had seen a most interesting expression flit across Ryo's handsome face. What had it been? Jealousy? Yeah. But not just jealousy...It had been mixed with something else. Ted grinned to himself as he jogged lightly down the stairs. Could it be that Dee's unrelenting attempts to make his partner fall for him were finally paying off? He'd have to remember to watch the two of them together a little more carefully the next time he had an opportunity.

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- It took a lot of effort and persistence, but Dee finally got JJ out of his apartment. It was a good thing too, because hardly two minutes had elapsed before Ryo phoned him.

"Hello, Ryo?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you free to talk?"

"Why wouldn't I be free to talk?"

"Well...I thought JJ might be giving you a sponge bath or something." Ryo was trying to sound light-hearted, but Dee wasn't fooled.

"Oh, he certainly tried," he said, laughing. "But I locked the bathroom door in his face, so he settled for cleaning up my apartment instead."

"You shouldn't be using JJ like that," Ryo said disapprovingly.

"You know that guy has a mind of his own. Besides, he _likes_ doing stuff for me. I find the best way to manage him is to give him an outlet for his energy. The way I see it, as long as he's cleaning up my kitchen, his hands are too busy to be trying to grab me."

There was a brief silence at the other end of the phone line, which made Dee wonder if he had perhaps gone too far. He wanted Ryo to be jealous, but not mad at him. "Ryo?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Is JJ gone then?"

"All gone, thank God. I'm alone with my TV. Hey, any news on the monkey brat?"

"NOW you ask."

"Hey, I knew he was all right the minute you mentioned the sponge bath! You wouldn't have been joking if he was still missing."

"True," Ryo conceded. "He's staying over at Carol's place. Her aunt confirmed it for me. He refuses to speak to me because he says he's mad at me." He sighed dejectedly, thinking _Super-Dad strikes again._

"He'll forgive you eventually."

"I hope so. But right now he feels like I betrayed him. I hope someday he'll be able to understand that I couldn't give him case information. Plus, I wanted Detectives Greenspan and Saunders to see real surprise in the kids' faces when they told them the bad news. Unless some more evidence turns up, Bikky and Carol seem to be the main suspects right now."

"No cop in his right mind would think those two had anything to do with the murder."

"You'd be surprised. A significant percentage of the murders that are committed in New York annually are by minors."

"Yeah, but those are kids that are usually involved in gangs. All anyone has to do is look at Bikky and Carol to realize that they're good kids."

"Well, that's what I thought too, but the way Detective Saunders handled the questioning today made me think again. So I called Lindsay Masters. I should've done it earlier. I guess I had too much faith."

"Lindsay Masters? The attack dog? Can you afford him?"

"Probably not, but I really think it's time Bikky had a lawyer. I talked to Elina about it and we decided that Lindsay is going to represent Carol too, and Elina will pay what she can to help me out."

"Aw, baby. That fucking Abernathy. HE'S the cause of all this trouble. If he hadn't gone and dropped false hints to that little airhead, Bikky and Carol would be out of it by now. God, I wish I could just snap Abernathy's neck for him!"

"Yeah, but then you'd pop the last of your stitches and have to go back to hospital for a week!"

"Oh, that reminds me," said Dee. "Good news. I didn't pop a stitch, after all. It just felt like it at the time. But my injury is itching like a sonofabitch. I really wish I had something -- or someone-- to help me take my mind off it..." He ended on a provocative note, but Ryo didn't take the bait, at least not the way he had hoped.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I should fax you these phone records I'm working on. That'll give you something to do."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"I know. You never have paperwork in mind."

Dee tried a new tack. "Hey, how are your muscles? Aren't you feeling a little sore from Karate?"

"Yeah," Ryo sounded surprised. "How did you know that? I don't remember telling you."

"I have a confession to make. Ted phoned me earlier and told me that the brats were okay. He also mentioned that your muscles were sore."

"Hmm...I wonder why he wanted to tell you that?" Ryo sounded slightly suspicious.

"Who cares? The point is that you should be here, letting me massage all the stiffness out of those sexy muscles of yours. Well, most of 'em anyway. We'll leave the stiffness in one of them...just in case."

"Dee! How can you think about sex at a time like this?"

"Who said sex? Not me! I was talking about a massage."

"Hmph," said Ryo. He wasn't about to admit how appealing a massage sounded. But he knew how it would end, and he really did want to get his paperwork done.

As if he had read his partner's mind, Dee said, "Hey, if you come over here with those phone records you were talking about, I promise to put in an hour on them if you let me give you a massage after. How about that?"

"Really?" Ryo sounded tempted for a moment, but then he sighed. "No, Dee. I really should stay here. What if Bikky calls?"

"The brat's not gonna call. He's in a snit, remember?"

"Yeah, but he might need something."

"Okay, I'll come over there. Same deal. An hour of paperwork, followed by a massage. Whaddaya say?"

"What kind of massage? A 'starter massage'?"

"Huh?" said Dee. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll give you whatever kind of massage you want."

"I can't believe you forgot," said Ryo, slightly exasperated. "A couple of weeks ago after we caught Bikky almost buying drugs from Eddie, you offered to give me a 'starter massage'. But it never happened because first my aunt called, and then I started cooking dinner, and then you left."

"Oh yeah," said Dee. "I remember now. Is that what you want? A starter massage?"

"Well, I don't know." Ryo was starting to sound a little shy. "You never did tell me what a starter massage was."

"Really? How about I show you," Dee said.

"I don't know...what do I have to do?" Ryo was wary.

"Don't worry dude. You can keep your pants on. You just take your shirt off and lie down on the bed."

"Does this massage involve oil? Because my sheets are new."

"Nope. No oil in the starter massage."

Ryo still hesitated.

"What's wrong, babe? This is a real innocent massage. No reason to be all nervous and mistrustful, you know."

"I just know from experience that whenever you say the word 'innocent', it means I should be extra vigilant!"

"Look, you're the one who said that all your muscles were sore from your first Karate class after a two-month break. Now, because I don't like to think of my baby having sore muscles, I'm willing to massage all the pain and tightness out of them. And you know why? Although _some_ people think I'm a letch, I just happen to be an all-round nice guy and totally devoted boyfriend." Dee did his best to sound indignant, although the big grin on his face was probably detectable in his voice and therefore working against him.

"Well, what I'd like to know is what EXACTLY is going to happen during this, er, 'starter' massage?" Ryo could feel each moment that passed taking him closer and closer toward an inevitable sexual encounter with Dee. But he couldn't stop the slow slide. Nor did he want to, he realized, as his hand brushed unconsciously against his semi-erect penis. He wanted Dee. He was hungry for him all the time nowadays. Besides, his apartment was feeling rather empty and lonely tonight with both Dee and Bikky absent from it.

"Okay," said Dee, "Here's the blow by blow. You take off your shirt and lie down on the bed. I straddle your sexy ass and work all the knots of tension out of your back and shoulders. You keep your pants on the whole time. That's it. Innocent enough for you?"

"Um...Are there any other..._less _innocent massages on the menu?"

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then Dee's voice came back on, speaking urgently.

"Baby, stay right where you are. I'll be over in twenty minutes --no, fifteen-- to tell you all about the rest of the menu in person!" There was a click, and Dee was gone. Ryo looked at the phone in surprise.

"Now you've done it," he muttered to himself. His penis gave an answering twitch. "Behave yourself," he said sternly to it.

He was sure that if it had a voice, it would be laughing at him.

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- Detective Shaver knocked on the door of the cozy apartment he had once shared with Sheila and Kevin. He heard Sheila's voice saying, "Your dad's here. Go let him in, wouldya?" This was followed by the sound of running feet, and then Kevin was wrenching open the door and looking up at him excitedly.

"Dad! Come on in! Are you hungry? We have leftover chicken. You want some?" He flung his arms around his father and didn't notice when Ned sucked in a sharp breath. His body was still in a lot of pain, and Kevin's enthusiastic hug had just woken up several sleeping bruises. But even so, he would never have preferred to do without the hug.

"Dad, if you eat some chicken, you gotta promise me you'll eat all the broccoli, okay?" Kevin whispered these words conspiratorially into his ear and Detective Shaver chuckled.

"It depends on your mom," he said, and tapped Kevin's nose with his finger.

"Well don't stand in the doorway bothering the neighbors," Sheila called out from where she was in the kitchen. "Come inside and close the door, already."

Ned sighed. "Okay, Sheila." His ex-wife sounded perpetually put-upon, as if everything about life irritated her. _It's probably just everything about me_, he thought to himself, as he sat down at the dinette table and rested his arms on the familiar white and blue tablecloth that her mother had given them for a wedding present.

"Kevin, did you lock the door?"

"Yeah, Mom. Dad says he's hungry. Can we give him some dinner?"

Sheila appeared, a slightly overweight blonde with dark roots and lines of worry in her tired face. She gave Ned a piercing look. "Is that so?"

"Well, uh..." He was about to say he wasn't hungry just to keep his pride intact, but he could see Kevin looking at him pleadingly from the corner of his eye. "Maybe just a little..."

Sheila looked him over with her hand on her hip. "When was the last time you ate a decent meal?"

He hesitated because he honestly couldn't remember.

"I thought so," she said and turned back to the kitchen. "I'll heat up some leftovers for you. Honestly, Ned, I don't know how you survive. You gotta take better care of yourself. I hope you can handle broccoli," she added.

Again, Detective Shaver hesitated. He actually did like broccoli, but not the way Sheila cooked it. Kevin nudged his arm urgently and raised his eyebrows at him, so he called out, "Broccoli's fine."

While Sheila banged about in the kitchen, Kevin proudly showed him his social studies test with the big red 'A' on it, and chattered away about what he was learning in school. Detective Shaver listened to him fondly, fighting back the sadness in his heart. He sure hoped things would go well on Wednesday night. His job was a risky one, but he had never in his life felt so close to death, not even the time he had hit his head during a Navy SEAL diving mission. He suddenly couldn't stand the thought of never seeing Kevin again.

He ate the food Sheila set in front of him and said yes to her offer of peach-apricot tea and sugar cookies for afterward. Kevin made notes in his science book, and Sheila watched her ex-husband speculatively. "You look terrible," she remarked. "You get run over by a truck or something?"

He shook his head dismissively, but didn't answer. His eyes flickered to Kevin and back to her. "This broccoli is really good," he said. "Could I have a little more?" He didn't have to turn his head to know that Kevin was grinning into his homework.

"Sure," said Sheila, taking his plate to the kitchen. She returned with an extra helping of the overcooked green mush that had once been a proud member of the cruciferous vegetable family. "You might as well finish it off."

"Thank you," said Ned, trying to look pleased as he brought a forkful up to his mouth.

"Kevin, honey," Sheila said. "Could you please go into my bedroom and get me my pink shawl? I'm feeling kind of cold. I think it's on my bed."

"Sure, Mom." He scampered off to the bedroom, happy to oblige. He loved having both his parents with him, especially when they weren't fighting. His dad had been here for at least half an hour and they hadn't started screaming yet. He allowed himself to fall into his favorite fantasy, the one where his parents realized that they didn't want to fight anymore and that they missed each other, so they got back together again.

As soon as he was out of the room, Sheila looked at Ned. "What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down at where his big fingers rested on the handle of his cup.

"Should I worry?"

He took a slow swallow of his tea while he thought what to say. Finally, he shook his head. "No," he said. "I'll find a way out of this. And even if worse comes to worst, you'll get my pension. There's insurance money, too. Good thing we never officially divorced, huh?"

"Ned!" she hissed, distressed. "How can you think I'd be happy if- if-"

She was interrupted by Kevin's voice calling out, "Mom! It's not on the bed."

"Try the laundry hamper, honey," she replied, and then turned her attention back to Ned. "Is it that bad? Can't you ask for help?"

"My job has gotten more complicated recently," he told her. "I'm working with some very dangerous people. But hey, if it's not my time to go, then I have nothing to worry about, right?"

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Take care of yourself, Ned. I know I'm...not always very patient with you, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Neither saw Kevin peeping ecstatically out of the bedroom at them. The boy was thrilled to see his mom and dad actually holding hands!

"Thank you," Ned said, squeezing back and feeling oddly touched. They sat for a moment like that with so many unsaid things hanging in the silence between them while the radio played softly in the corner and Kevin rustled around in the bedroom. But finally, Ned broke the spell.

"Look, I gotta get going," he said, standing up. "I still got a couple of things to do tonight. I just wanted to make sure you got the fertilizer and soil for your gardening project. I'm real sorry I couldn't bring the planter. I'm just not up to lifting anything heavy right now."

"That's all right," Sheila said waving a hand. "If you're feeling up to it on the weekend, you can bring it then when you take Kevin to his softball practice."

"Okay," he said and gave her a little grimace that skated cautiously close to smile territory. "Kevin! Come say good night. I'm leaving now."

"What, already?" Kevin came running out of the bedroom holding a pink shawl. "But you just got here!"

"Sorry, buddy, I told you I could only stay a short time."

"Aw!"

"Oh, Ned," said Sheila, "Could you please do me a favor?"

"What is it?" he asked, hoping it didn't involve money.

She indicated Kevin's bicycle, propped up against the wall by the door. "One of his tires is flat. We tried filling it with air, but it didn't stay pumped up. It's got a leak somewhere. Could you get it fixed, please? At that cheap place in the Bronx? Anderson's Cycles wanted an arm and a leg, but I called Emil's Wheels over by where you live, and they quoted a way better price."

Shaver looked doubtful. "I dunno, Sheila. I'm gonna be so busy the next few days...I might not be able to get to it for a while."

"But it's Kevin's transportation to school," she insisted, some of the friendliness going out of her voice. "For the last couple of days he's had to walk, and I have to walk with him. It's making mornings more difficult around here."

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," Ned said quickly, not wanting to end the evening with a fight. It was easy to get along with Sheila provided one did everything she said. He opened the apartment door and put the bike out in the hallway, which made Kevin think he was leaving right then.

"Dad!" he said anxiously. "Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

"Of course I am, Kev," said Shaver reassuringly, turning back and holding out his arms. Kevin hurried forward and hugged him with all of his strength. "Did you eat it all?" he whispered.

"Every bite," Shaver whispered back, even though he felt like his ribs were going to crack. His boy was a lot stronger than he looked. "Love you, kid."

"Love you too, Dad. Thanks for eating the broccoli! That was reeeeally nice of you." He hugged his father again, and this time the pain rose to such an acute level that Sheila noticed it on Ned's face and took pity on him.

"Come on Kevin, let your father go. See you on the weekend, Ned."

He nodded and squeezed her hand again, before walking slowly down the hallway with Kevin's bike. Every footstep caused pain from his recent beating to reverberate in his muscles and bones. He could still feel the bittersweet ache of his son's embrace, although it was already fading. By the time he reached the end of the hall, the feeling of Kevin's arms about him had been overcome by the cramps in his gut and torment of having to put his weight on his injured right knee. He pressed the elevator button and it opened right away. He turned back then, although he had promised himself he wouldn't, and waved to the woman and child watching him from their open apartment door. Kevin waved back; Sheila didn't, and Shaver was glad when the elevator door slid closed and allowed him to slump against the wall, his face crumpling in sorrow.

&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- There was a knock at the door, Dee's knock: one soft rap followed by a loud one. Ryo felt a flutter of butterflies in his stomach at that familiar sound. He looked at his watch. It had been only sixteen minutes since his partner had abruptly hung up on him. Dee must have gotten lucky with parking.

He opened the door with a smile on his face, but he knew it must be an idiotic smile because he was just so happy to see his lover that he couldn't be calm or aloof. He felt simultaneously self-conscious and excited. He couldn't wait for Dee to touch him. "You're late!" he said.

"Am not. Come here." Dee closed the door and pulled Ryo into his arms. When he felt Ryo melt against him, it caused tingles of electricity to run down his legs. Ryo was hot for his body, ripe for seduction, willing to get physical with him; he had known it when he hung up the phone. Now all he had to do was make him forget about the paperwork.

"Dee, that's enough, time to let go." Ryo was struggling a bit, but not very hard. "We have to--"

"Give me a kiss first."

"Okay." Ryo quickly kissed his lips and then pulled back out of his arms.

"Oh no you don't." Shaking his head, Dee advanced on Ryo, who didn't manage to back away very far before Dee caught him. "Don't kiss me like that," Dee breathed, sliding a hand around Ryo's neck and bringing it up under his jaw. "Kiss me like this..."

When Ryo felt Dee's spearmint-scented mouth come down on his, his lips parted of their own volition and he moaned in hopeless surrender. Not only did Dee seem to prefer seduction to paperwork, but his own body, which appeared to be on Dee's side about the seduction issue, was betraying him. His lover's tongue was in his mouth, warm, wet and mobile, flicking against his, demanding a response that Ryo had no power to withhold. He kissed Dee back with everything he had, conscious of being swept out to sea by his mounting desire for the lean, muscular man in his arms.

Dee lifted his mouth off Ryo's long enough to nip at his lips and gasp, "You're so fucking hot, baby, so sexy-sweet. Jesus, I want you." He returned to his lover's sensual mouth and held him close while he kissed him again, slowly rubbing his hard masculine body against Ryo's. He felt his breath catch when their erections bumped against each other. "Let me make you feel good."

Ryo arched his throat in invitation, and Dee took the opportunity to bite, kiss and suck it gently, being careful not to leave marks. The sensations were making Ryo moan and squirm against him. Ryo's neck was a major erogenous zone for him, a fact that Dee had discovered quite early in their relationship, and had then exploited whenever he got the chance.

Ryo opened his eyes to discover that they were on the threshold of the bedroom - Dee had been slowly nudging him in that direction ever since he had entered the apartment. One of his hands shot out and gripped the doorjamb in a last-ditch effort to regain control of the evening. "Dee," he managed to groan in a voice that did not sound like his own at all. "Phone records! You promised!"

One of Dee's hands immediately fought its way between their bodies and caressed his penis. Ryo's body jolted with pleasurable sensation and his hand lost its grip on the doorjamb. The next thing he knew, he was on his back on the bed and Dee was kneeling astride his knees, unzipping his fly and pushing his tee-shirt up out of the way. He could hear Dee's voice, slightly muffled, as he spoke in between pressing hot kisses to Ryo's flat belly and well-defined chest.

"Got - Got a plan, baby." He bit gently at one of Ryo's nipples and sucked it briefly into his mouth. "First, sex. We can't do... paperwork... in this condition." He began working on the other nipple, causing Ryo to cry out softly in response and caress Dee's hair. "After sex...kiss me...mmmm...after sex, paperwork. One hour, okay?"

"Okay," said Ryo, raising his arms above his head so that Dee could pull off his tee-shirt. Dee tossed the shirt on the floor and returned his attention to Ryo's neck and chest.

"After paperwork...massage! Okay?" Dee raised his head and looked into Ryo's eyes. Ryo nodded and started trying to undo Dee's shirt buttons. He got his hand inside Dee's shirt and began playing with his lover's nipples, the way Dee had done so many times to him. Dee closed his eyes and let Ryo do it, resting his hand lightly on his partner's wrist, lips parted as he panted in pleasure.

"Oh sweetheart, you're going to kill me. I am going to fucking explode..."

"And after the massage?" Ryo whispered.

Dee grinned at him, looking incredibly handsome in the half-light. "More sex, of course," he whispered back and bent his head for another luscious kiss.

End of chapter 33

Author's notes: I bet you guys are just dying to know whether they ever get around to that paperwork!

Is anyone confused about the timing and what day it is, etc? This chapter ended on Tuesday night. Monday night was when Dee went out fund-raising with Bikky, while Ryo went to Karate. The Friday night prior to that was when Dee got shot. Tomorrow is Wednesday, and the next day is Thursday, which is the day of the funeral. The next chapter is up on my LJ page, but you have to email me to find out what the address is, because FF(dot)net doesn't allow direct links, even in its messaging system. Chapter 34 contains a lemon, but I'll take most of the sex out when I post that chapter here in a couple of weeks.

By the way, I just realized that my last few chapters haven't had line breaks, if that's the right word, to indicate a change of location. I don't know why, but it's almost impossible to get any symbols from the number keys to appear in this text. Nor am I allowed to do extra spaces. I apologize for those weird &--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&--&-- things I did at intervals, but it was all the program would allow me to do.

Thank you very much for reading!


	34. Chapter 34

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 34_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: NOT what I'd call worksafe, even though the lovemaking scene has been toned way down for this fanfiction site. We open smack in the middle of a lemon, because the fans requested it! Dirty talk and other naughtiness between two men who love each other.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Lieutenant Abernathy and Detectives Ned Shaver, Tina Greenspan and Scott Saunders are mine, however)

Author's notes: For any readers who might not remember, Ryo sometimes goes by the name 'Randy'. Read and review, please and thank-you!

Thank you to mtemplar for her incredibly efficient beta-skills and for just plain being so nice to me!

Thanks to mysid for reminding me that oral and anal sex are not the be-all and end-all of the gay sex repertoire.

Thanks to loki-the-fraud for being my Location Manager and all round NYA! (The 'A' stands for Angel)

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 34_

Ryo was lying on his back with Dee on all fours above him, enjoying the way Dee moaned into his mouth every time Ryo gave his nipples a little tug.

"You like it?" he murmured in wonder, asking himself why the hell he hadn't thought to touch Dee's nipples before. It suddenly seemed like such a natural thing to do.

"Yeah, I like it a lot." Dee's voice was a little thick. "And I'd like it even more if you sucked on 'em for me.

Ryo sat up, his legs still trapped between Dee's spread thighs and undid the last two buttons of Dee's shirt. He pushed it back off the younger man's shoulders, caressing his arms as he did so. Then he pressed his face against Dee's smooth chest and inhaled the scent of his skin. Dee wasn't wearing cologne tonight; he smelled like himself. Ryo thought he smelled wonderful. He nuzzled him a little and then flicked his tongue over one of Dee's nipples. This caused Dee to immediately arch his back and press toward him.

"Do it, baby, suck it. Don't be afraid to use your teeth."

Ryo slid one loving arm around Dee's back and brought his right hand up to tease Dee's other nipple. Then he fastened his mouth around the nipple he had licked, and sucked it into hardness. He was rewarded by a long, breathy groan from his lover. He nibbled on the nipple gently and sucked it some more, and then switched over to the other one. He worked both of Dee's nipples in this way, alternating hand and mouth until they were pink and puffy and had been thoroughly loved. At that point, he felt it was time to move on to another activity, but...what? Suddenly his sense of initiative failed him, and he found himself looking questioningly up at Dee.

Dee understood. He always did. Climbing off Ryo and stepping onto the floor, he said, "Let's get naked, you little sex bomb," and unfastened his jeans. He let them drop, revealing that he wasn't wearing any underwear, a fact that Ryo registered with interest, even though he was busy wriggling out of his sweat pants and underwear on the bed. Dee was amused to see that Ryo actually folded his sweatpants after tucking his underwear inside them, and then fished around on the bed for his discarded tee-shirt, which he also folded before putting the two items of clothing neatly on the floor next to the dresser.

When Dee climbed back onto the bed, Ryo put up a hand to stop him. "How's your wound? You said it was bothering you."

Dee ran self-conscious fingers over his new bandage, which he had washed around very carefully earlier. "It aches a little, but it mostly itches. I get back more of my full range of motion with each day that passes."

"I don't want us to do anything that will make it hurt more," Ryo said softly, leaning back against the pillows and reaching out a hand to caress Dee's face. There was so much love in that simple gesture that Dee felt his heart leap and then melt.

"Ryo, my love," he murmured. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to do?"

Ryo broke eye contact and even though the room was dim, Dee knew he was blushing. "It's all good, Dee. You decide."

Dee moved on top of him and began kissing him again. He lowered the length of his body cautiously onto Ryo's, being careful not to let his wound make contact, and rubbed his erect penis against his lover's hip. Ryo's erection had not abated; Dee could feel it nudging against him.

Ryo was responding eagerly, his momentary hesitation gone, his trust in Dee complete. He ran his hands up and down Dee's back, loving the feel of the smooth, hard muscles under his palms. He knew that he would enjoy whatever sexual activity Dee suggested, since his lover hadn't steered him wrong yet. And in the meantime, the kissing was making him so hot. Dee's style of kissing was exactly the way he had always wanted to be kissed, except that no one else ever had, and he hadn't even fully realized that until the first time Dee had kissed him properly. That kiss had literally brought him to his knees. He had responded physically and emotionally, but it was his mind that forbade him to feel those feelings. Now, he no longer had to fight his desire. That which he had previously seen as his weakness, he now saw as a precious gift. He understood that he and Dee had that rare thing called 'chemistry' together. He had experienced 'chemistry' with only one of his previous girlfriends, and the way he had felt with her was a pale shadow compared to this. It was still a little strange for him to be making love with a partner whose body was male. In the past, with his other lovers, there had only been one penis involved in any sex act - his own. Now there were two, and although he was still a little intimidated by his lack of experience, he did have to admit that in many ways, it was more straightforward for him to deal with a penis than it was with a vagina. Dee's penis behaved much like his own. It was familiar. He was never at a loss to know what it wanted; his main concern was rather whether he would be able to deliver. He could feel Dee's hard erection rubbing its hot length against him, and he smiled, feeling a wave of affection for it. It wanted attention; it _always_ wanted attention. Well...he knew he could give it the kind of attention it liked...

"Dee," he murmured between kisses, trying to get his lover to listen. "Dee."

"What is it, love?"

"I know I told you to decide...but there's something I'd like to do."

"Oh?" Dee raised his head and looked down at Ryo, smiling expectantly. "What might that be?"

"I..." Ryo hesitated. Saying it was certainly more difficult than thinking it. "I want to, um...you know."

"Actually, for once I don't know," Dee remarked. He moved partially off Ryo to where he could see him properly, and propped himself up on one elbow. "But how about I run through some options for you, and you say yay or nay?"

Ryo nodded, feeling a little stab of excitement in anticipation of the words that would shortly be coming out of Dee's mouth.

"Okay," said Dee. "One: you want me to fuck you."

"Um..." Ryo looked both embarrassed and tempted, which brought a laugh from Dee. "Well? Is that it?"

"Yes and no," replied Ryo, without looking at him. "Yes, I want that, but not right now."

"Okay then. Two: you want me to suck your cock with my hot, wet, hungry mouth."

"Yes and no!" Ryo's face burned with a fierce heat that he was sure Dee could feel in the short distance between them. "Well, maybe later," he added.

Dee laughed again. "God, you're adorable." He kissed Ryo's hot cheek. "Three: you want me to dress up like a gladiator who has just won a Roman slave boy for the night. Ow!"

"Be serious!" Ryo admonished him. "And that did not hurt, you big baby."

"Who said I wasn't serious? All right, I get it. We'll do role-plays another time. I think I've figured it out, anyway. Four: you want to practice your developing deep-throating skills on _me_, your incredibly willing guinea pig."

Ryo nodded shyly. "Um, yes. That's the one."

"To which I say WHOO-HOO!" Dee punched a fist into the air. "How do you want me, sweetheart?"

Ryo thought for a moment. "Standing up," he said. "While I sit on the bed. Um, if that's comfortable for you of course..." He flicked a shy glance at Dee.

"I think that should be fine," Dee said, sliding down toward the end of the bed until his feet found the floor. "And if it's not, I'll let you know right away so we can change positions."

Ryo moved toward the end of the bed where Dee was waiting for him, his large, thick erection standing up in excitement and anticipation between his legs. Ryo found the sight unmistakably arousing. Surprisingly, he felt much less trepidation than usual. In fact, he felt almost eager for that first lick of the velvety soft skin that coated Dee's rock hard member. It had a particular taste and smell, too, which he was gradually getting used to and starting to associate with pleasure.

He took care of Dee's need with willingness and love, if not any particular display of skill. When Dee's moment of ecstasy took him, he cried out a warning to Ryo, who ignored him and swallowed all he offered. Ryo tried not to choke. Swallowing was definitely not his favorite part.

He had wanted to lick the sides of Dee's shaft until it softened somewhat, but suddenly Dee was bending down toward him and capturing his lips with his own. When Dee's tongue swept the inside of his mouth, Ryo knew he was looking for traces of his own cum, and he was a little shocked, even though Dee had done that at least once before.

"Dee, why are you -"

"I just wanted to taste the mouth that gave me so much pleasure and sucked that big load outta my cock, that's all."

"But it's your own... that you're tasting."

"Cum is cum," Dee said. "Of course, I'd rather taste yours, but that's probably not going to happen with what I have planned for you." He was pushing Ryo back on the bed to indicate that he should scoot back toward the pillows.

"Um...and what's that?" Ryo found himself stretched out on his right side facing Dee, who held him tightly and wrapped a leg around him.

"I'll show you in a minute. For now, just hold me, please, my love, my sweet Ryo..."

Ryo held him close and tried to ignore the insistent call of his own erection. It had not gone down during the blowjob he had just given Dee. It had remained hard throughout. _More proof, not that I needed it, that I'm obviously profoundly gay, rather than merely a little confused_, he thought to himself wryly.

After about thirty seconds, Dee stirred and moved the hand that had been around Ryo's back, holding his partner's body close to him, to Ryo's penis instead. "I'm gonna show this guy" - he squeezed Ryo's member - "a real good time," he said. "But we're gonna have to change positions."

"What should I do?" Ryo was pressing rhythmically into Dee's hand, impatient for the next part to begin. He knew it would be good because if Dee said so, it would be.

We're both gonna have to be up on our knees. We're gonna do something that we've done once before, except last time I was the pitcher and you were the catcher. This time, we switch."

"We...switch?" Ryo was very surprised. Surely Dee wasn't talking about what it sounded like he was talking about...

"Yeah. Remember that night after the Vietnamese restaurant when we rushed back here from the bridge?"

"How could I forget?"

"Yeah, right. Well anyway, later I wanted to do it again, but you were too sore, remember? So we did that intercrural thing."

"Ohhh, right," said Ryo, the light dawning.

"Well you're gonna do it between _my_ thighs this time. You'll like it, trust me."

"I'm gonna do it between your...thighs?"

"Yeah. Come on, get up on your knees. And pass me the lube from your nightstand. We'll be needing that."

Ryo watched as Dee squeezed a generous amount of lubricant onto his hand and then rubbed it between his thighs, up and down. Then he added more until the whole area was extremely slick and wet. After putting the lid back on the tube, he tossed it down onto the bed and crooked his finger at Ryo with a confident grin. "C'mere, hot stuff."

When they had finished, Ryo felt his body listing toward sleep. Dee continued to hold him for a moment and then lowered him gently onto the bed. "Did you like that, baby?"

"Y-yes...Yes," replied Ryo in a voice that wasn't altogether steady. Yes, he had liked it very much. His eyes began trying to drop shut.

"I'm going to need another shower before we start any paperwork," Dee said. "You've made quite a _delicious_ mess of my thighs."

"I'm not going to taste it, if that's what you're hinting at," grumbled Ryo, his eyes still closed. "Yours, yes. Mine, no way."

"Aw come on," said Dee teasingly. "Not even one little lick?"

"Nope. It was your idea. Deal with it yourself."

Dee chuckled to himself as he felt Ryo drift off into a post-coital nap. He wouldn't let him sleep for long. Once Ryo had sunk into REM sleep, he was next to impossible to wake up. And Dee had further plans for the evening beyond the hour he had agreed to spend going over phone records. "Enjoy your nap, baby," he whispered. "You're going to need your strength for later."

&(-)&

Dee was sitting in a cafe in Little Italy, drinking a cappuccino and reading the newspaper. A crumb-covered plate that had recently held a chicken and arugula panini lay on the table before him. Ryo would be off work in about half an hour, and Dee was planning to leave soon and go pick him up. After that, they would fetch the kids from school and take them to see Lindsay Masters.

The day had started well, in that he had been able to sleep in late in Ryo's bed after a night spent in his lover's arms. Upon waking, he had staggered to the kitchen, motivated by a need for coffee. He saw the folded piece of paper on the counter before he had even set foot on the linoleum. Anchored by the sugar bowl, it sat strategically next to the coffeemaker. Hoping for a hint of romance, he grabbed the note and his eyes devoured it avidly. But all it said was:

_1. Coffee's ready to go, just press 'on'._

_2. Breakfast in fridge - oatmeal. Heat it up first._

Dee sighed. There were no tender words, not even a little heart or a happy face, or anything. Oh well, that was Ryo. The romance department of his brain was not only located in a dark basement corner at the bottom of several long flights of stairs, but usually had a sign on the door that said _Closed until all my cases are solved at work, and the vacuuming is done_. Dee shoveled oatmeal into his mouth while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. He badly wanted his morning cigarette and coffee before he tackled the first order of business for the day, which was to call Shaver and give him the news that there would be no deal. He wasn't looking forward to that particular conversation and therefore he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Twenty minutes later, fortified by nicotine and caffeine, he called the 51st. When the front desk staff told him that Ned Shaver had called in sick for the fourth day running, he dialed Ned's home number, which Andrea had helpfully provided him with on Monday. There was no answer, so he left a cautious message that he hoped would not make trouble for the Bronx detective in the event that anyone else checked his voice mail.

"Hey man, it's me. I just wanted to let you know...that it's not looking good regarding that, er, 'program' you were asking about. You gotta do what's best for you, of course. I'm really sorry we couldn't make this happen the way you wanted because, speaking for myself, I was really looking forward to working with you. If you wanna discuss it further, give me a call on my cell."

So far, his cell phone had not rung, except for when Ryo had called him in the early afternoon to see how he was doing. Shaver was probably pissed off, and more than a little alarmed about the suggestion of jail time, which Dee could completely understand. He wouldn't have been willing to bet a nickel on the man's chances in the slammer. Cops who ended up in jail were usually targeted. Even if he got his own prison cell and took his meals alone as the Commissioner had mentioned, it would only be a matter of time before someone got to him. Dee wouldn't have wanted to be in Detective Shaver's shoes for anything. He didn't really expect to hear from him, but he allowed himself to entertain a minuscule hope that Shaver would reach out anyway.

This sunny, spring-like Wednesday was the last of his sick days and he had to admit it had been good to have the last couple of days off. His wound still itched, but was troubling him a whole lot less than the day before. He had picked up groceries for Ryo's apartment and his own, and Bikky's funeral suit was now hanging up in the back seat of his car. He had also taken over the job of searching through Lieutenant Abernathy's phone records, since he and Ryo had not exactly gotten that done the night before, and although he felt that Ryo had been correct in his prediction that there wouldn't be much there, he had circled a couple of numbers that he believed bore further investigation.

He was about to take another sip of his coffee when he was interrupted by a voice that said, "Don't get too used to that stuff, or you'll never be able to drink station-house coffee again."

Dee lowered his newspaper to see Ned Shaver standing there, looking slightly disheveled as usual. He seemed exhausted, yet edgy, like a man who had had no sleep and rather too much caffeine.

"What is it, man?" Dee asked, concerned and more than a little surprised. This was the last place he would have expected to see Shaver.

"You got a car?"

"Yeah. Are you in trouble?"

"Little bit. Not too bad. Gotta shake a couple guys that are tailing me."

"Did they see you come in here?"

"Yeah. They're waiting outside. Don't look now. Doubled parked Mercedes. I got a spot, they didn't. They're expecting me to come back out. Where's your car?"

"Round the corner."

"Shit. We'll never get to it without being spotted."

"Sure we will. Watch me. When you see me go through that door, count to ten and follow me."

"That door?"

"Yep."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Dee got up and went to the front counter, where he pushed his way to the front of the line and discreetly showed his badge to the girl at the cash register. "NYPD," he said. "I gotta go through your kitchen and out your back door."

"Uh, sure," she squeaked.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Danka," she said, blushing.

Dee winked at her. "If the cooks kick up a fuss, I'll just tell them that Danka said it was okay. You have a great day, hon."

He quickly walked around the counter and through the door to the kitchen, holding his badge out in front of him. "NYPD, coming through. Police business, coming through. One more officer behind me."

A pair of white clad kitchen workers gaped at him, but neither said anything. He emerged into an alley next to a dumpster, and exactly ten seconds later, so did Shaver. He was panting a little.

"C'mon, said, Dee. "I think we'd better run."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

He and Shaver jogged to the end of the alley. When they got there, Dee took a careful look. His could see his car, about a quarter block down, but more importantly, there was no sign of the Mercedes or its occupants.

"Coast's clear. Let's walk," he said. Dee pointed out his vehicle, a blue Chevy Cavalier with broad racing stripes on the hood, as they strolled casually down the street toward it. They made it to the car without mishap and got in quickly. Dee started the engine and immediately pulled out from the curb. Neither man spoke for several minutes as Dee negotiated traffic. He took a zig-zag route away from the cafe, watching his rear view mirror carefully for signs of the Mercedes. When he had gotten clear over to West 22nd without any sign of it, they both relaxed.

"So were you actually trying to find me, or is this just a coincidence?" Dee asked.

"I called the 27th looking for you. They put me through to your partner. He suggested I check Little Italy. Been driving around hoping to spot you."

Dee nodded. He had told Ryo earlier that he was going to grab a bite at Café Bruno in Little Italy. "Why didn't you call my cell number?"

"I thought I had it memorized. I think I got one of the digits wrong. My brain is pretty fucked up nowadays."

Dee took another look at him. The guy really did look like hell. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, as you know, I gotta be at that that big meeting with the Stone Bloods and Corporate America tonight. A couple of the Devils have been on my ass for the past couple of hours. I'm not sure whether they're under orders to follow me to the meeting or prevent me from attending it like last time."

"What do you wanna do? You can't exactly go back to your car. Even if they've figured out that you're gone, one of them will stay and wait for you to come back for it." Dee plugged in the car's cigarette lighter and reached into his shirt pocket for his cigarettes. "Smoke?"

Shaver nodded his thanks and took one. "Yeah, I know. But I figure they'll give up after a few hours. I'll go pick up the car close to the meeting time. It's not until midnight anyhow."

"You might have been towed by then."

"No. 'Cause you're going to see to it that I'm not."

"Oh, I am, am I?"

"Hear me out. I appreciate it that you were straight with me about there being no deal. Very few people have been straight with me in my life. You coulda just strung me along and then screwed me over at the end when you'd gotten what you wanted, but you didn't. You gave it to me without the bullshit."

"Uh...You're welcome. Where we goin' with this?"

There was a pause while Shaver pulled out the cigarette lighter and lit his smoke with it, then passed it to Dee. When both of them had inhaled a good lungful of tobacco smoke, Shaver continued.

"Been givin' it some thought. I got a real bad feeling about tonight. There's a good chance the Devils will find us and come in shooting. They know they're basically fucked if Ibo and Rizzo join forces. Ibo will fuckin' exterminate them. He wants their streets, and especially their routes. Anyways, like I said, I got a bad feeling. Same feeling I had the night my old man bought it, and also the day a live shell exploded during practice and killed my best buddy when I was in the Navy. Only this time I feel like it's gonna be me."

Dee looked at him thoughtfully, but stayed silent. He and Ryo had discussed Ned Shaver's potential for remaining alive in the long term and had come to the conclusion that his chances weren't good. And although Shaver had exhibited poor judgment in the past, he certainly wasn't stupid or unrealistically optimistic.

"Have you got some kind of plan?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna give you guys a freebie. Even though there's no deal, I'll go in with a wire. That way, if I don't come back from tonight's meeting, you'll at least get something. If it turns out my worries are all for nothing, though...well, that's all you'll be getting from me unless the 'Let's Send Shaver to Jail' committee takes another vote."

"Answer a question for me, because I just cannot figure this out. Why the hell aren't you running? You don't exactly have a spotless police record, but the NYPD doesn't have anything on you at the present time. There's nothing to stop you from leaving the state. Why don't you just fuckin' disappear? Is that not an option?"

"Got any kids, Detective?"

"Not that I know about!" Dee responded automatically, but then he remembered Bikky and Carol. "Well... sort of."

"See, I have a son. His name's Kevin. His mom's a fuckin' bitch most of the time, but Kevin's a real good boy. I don't want anything to happen to him, you know what I mean?"

"Have they threatened your family?"

"Only indirectly. But if I wanted to run, I'd have to take them with me, and I can't afford it. Sheila has a job here, at least. It's a shit job, but it brings in some money. I got no savings, and neither does she. I can't uproot them both and take them God knows where when I have no cash to get a place to live and start a new life. Hell, the way things have been lately, I'd probably run out of gas money before I crossed the state line. But if I leave them here, Ibo or Mike can use them to make me come back and face the music."

"Fuck." Dee felt bad for Detective Shaver.

"Yeah, I've really painted myself into a corner haven't I?" Shaver's mouth twisted into the grimace which Dee was starting to recognize as the closest Shaver could get to a smile. "So I've got no choice except to stay here and play this thing out to the end. That could be tonight, or some other time. I don't fucking know."

"But you're willing to wear a wire tonight?"

"Yep. But you'd better start doing whatever you gotta do to set me up. It's -" Shaver looked at his watch - "nine hours till midnight. I know it takes time to get that kind of show on the road."

"That's right," said Dee, hurriedly going through a checklist in his mind. They'd be needing at least two surveillance vehicles, tech people, wire equipment, as well as on-scene surveillance staff, and even though the Commissioner had more or less given Ryo carte blanche authorization for this project, it was in everyone's best interests to get a member of the brass to sign off on it. "We're gonna make that happen. But first I'm gonna call some uniforms down on the two Devils who are watching your car. What's your license plate number?"

&(-)&

Ryo was on the phone with Lindsay Masters' secretary when his cell phone vibrated inside his jacket pocket. Assuming it was Dee, he managed to quickly finish up the first call before flipping open his cell phone and saying, "Hi Dee, did he find you?"

"Um...This is Tina, Randy." It was Detective Greenspan's voice, and she sounded a little unsure about what kind of reception she was going to get.

"Oh. Detective Greenspan. I'm sorry, I was expecting another call." Ryo didn't even try to keep the coldness out of his voice.

"Well, I apologize if I'm disturbing you," she answered, "but I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to return my calls. I left you several messages."

"What is there to talk about? Yesterday's questioning session was a total disaster, by anyone's standards. It's now quite obvious to me that you and your colleague came into that meeting with your minds made up that my thirteen-year-old son and his fifteen-year-old friend are the ones you're going to try to pin the murder on, DNA evidence and fingerprints be damned. I'm just glad that Detective Saunders' prejudicial attitude gave the game away before you guys got very far down that road. If you think that bullying children into making confessions to crimes they didn't commit is a better way to go than good old fashioned police work, then I can't imagine why you ever became a cop in the first place."

"Detective MacLean! Would you just--"

"I'm not finished. I'm giving you fair notice right now that I refuse to discuss this matter with you any further. I've hired legal counsel for my son, and we are in the process of requesting that you be taken off this case and replaced with someone who has more experience and displays better judgment."

"Detective MacLean, please would you just listen to me for a moment? I do NOT think that your son was involved in the murder! _Please_ let me explain!"

Ryo made no comment, and she continued somewhat nervously. "As you know, my partner, Detective Ruth Massey, is on vacation. The Sergeant suggested I take Detective Saunders with me to assist with the questioning, because you're right, I don't have much experience, and he allegedly does. He was a detective in New Orleans for nine years, for God's sake. I had no idea he was such an idiot, I swear to you!" Again, Ryo was silent, and she asked in a faltering voice, "D-Detective MacLean?"

"Yes," said Ryo shortly.

Detective Greenspan hastened to justify her actions, the words rushing headlong out of her mouth as though she was afraid he would hang up on her at any second. "We discussed the case in the car on the way over. It - it just slipped out, the information that Lieutenant Abernathy had given me. I'm so sorry. I know you asked me to keep it to myself, but it seemed...relevant. And I didn't have a compelling enough reason to keep it secret, can you understand that? On Sunday when we met at the morgue, you and your partner had such a strong reaction when I told you about Lieutenant Abernathy's call, but you wouldn't tell me why! Later, I discussed what had happened with Sergeant Fedorov and he took it to our lieutenant. They said they were going to contact your Lieutenant Smith and get back to me, but neither of them did. I didn't know what to do with that information. It's a pretty serious allegation, you've got to admit, and I had no one to advise me. I guess that's why I confided in Detective Saunders. I was hoping he would be able to help me, but instead he seems to have gotten fixated on the idea that the kids probably knew more than they were letting on. He tried to scare poor Carol into talking, but instead...Well, you know the rest. And I did NOT know he was going to do that. If I had known, I would never have brought him along. I don't condone either his attitude or his behavior."

"And what's _your_ opinion, Detective? Do the kids know more than they're letting on?"

"I honestly don't think your son had any idea he was communicating with the murderer. I think the perp knew Eddie well enough to have knowledge of his eBay activities, and therefore put a bid on the cookware in order to lure him out. It's highly unlikely that he or she could have even been aware that someone other than Eddie was handling the correspondence."

"That's what I think, too. But I still don't trust you, Detective."

"Fair enough," she said. "At this point, I'm just grateful that you're willing to listen to me, because I need to know what the hell is going on between you and Lieutenant Abernathy. He's the one who told me that your son had set up the murder, and he told me the morning after it happened. No one knew anything at that point. Unless your son had come forward with the information about the eBay account, I doubt we would have found out about it on our own."

"We would definitely have come forward with that information," Ryo told her. "I had already told Lieutenant Smith the same evening as Bikky told me. But I wasn't ready to share it with you on Sunday, that's all."

"It seems to me that Lieutenant Abernathy knows more than he should," Detective Greenspan said. "Is there some reason why you don't want to tell me what's going on between you two?"

"Yes," Ryo replied. "But since I don't trust you, I don't feel like telling you."

She was silent a moment. Then she spoke. "Detective MacLean, I wish there was some way I could earn your trust, because if you persist in shutting me out, I'll have to start asking around about Lieutenant Abernathy and you, until I find out what the connection is. I'm very sorry for the way that sounds. I don't mean to sound like I'm threatening you, but until I get taken off this case, I still have to do my job. I don't want anyone else to suggest that your son might have been involved in the death of Eddie Calvetti, and the best way for that to happen is if we find the real murderer."

"Look," said Ryo. "I understand that you're in a difficult position here. But, as I told you before at the morgue, this case I'm on is highly sensitive, and is just starting to get off the ground. We're working mainly on conjecture at this point. My partner and I are trying to acquire enough hard evidence to be able to apply for warrants, which we're not currently in a position to do. There are members of my own team who don't know all the details of this case yet. I can't afford the potential breach in security that could come from my telling you."

"Detective MacLean," she said. "I'm really sorry for all the misunderstandings we've had so far. They've all been my fault, and that's the truth. The fact is...I was hoping we could be friends. But every time we come into contact, I seem to find a way to make a mess of things. So I'll leave it for now, and what's more, I'll leave you with a piece of information that I think just might be of interest to you."

"Go on," said Ryo, glancing at his watch. It was almost three thirty. Dee should be here by now. He wondered if he was waiting downstairs.

"Lieutenant Abernathy phoned me again yesterday. He asked me if I had gotten confirmation of your son's involvement with the murder."

"What?" The time and Dee were temporarily forgotten. Detective Greenspan had Ryo's full attention.

"Oh, there's more, Detective. He already knew all about how your partner had punched Detective Saunders in the nose. He also knew that the kids had run out of the building. He phoned me on my cell phone as Scott and I were walking out to the car."

Ryo was stunned, but he somehow found his voice. "Did you answer his question?"

"No. I told him that due to the way the questioning session had abruptly deteriorated, it had been inconclusive."

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, he just said he'd be in touch."

Ryo shook his head, mentally revising his opinion of Detective Greenspan. Perhaps she wasn't quite as insubstantial as he had thought. His mind was already running over ways to turn her position as Abernathy's favorite contact to advantage. She knew it too, and that was what she was offering him, IF he could bring himself to trust her.

"Detective Greenspan, thank you for the information. I just realized I'm late for an appointment, and I'll have to call you back later. Would you excuse me please?"

"Certainly," she said, and the smile was back in her voice. "I'll be more than happy to talk to you later."

Ryo hung up and immediately dialed Dee on his cell, not his police line. Suddenly, he didn't trust the phone lines.

"Ryo!" said Dee. I'm glad you called. Sorry I'm late, but I've got big news. You'll never guess who I've got with me and what he's willing to do for us tonight. I'll be there in five minutes. I know you have to go to that appointment with Bikky, but I gotta take care of this. I'll tell you about it when we get there."

"Dee, listen to me. I know who you're with because I talked to him earlier. Don't bring him here." He lowered his voice, feeling paranoid about whether someone might be listening out in the hall. "I just learned that we have a...security problem."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The Bad Lieutenant has a spy here, Dee. Whatever you do, don't bring Shaver to the 27th."

&(-)&

end of chapter 34

I'm sorry, but I won't be able to post another chapter of this story for three or four weeks. I'm about to get really busy at work for the next couple of months. Chapter 35 is up on my LJ, however. And I'll continue to post regular installments of _Slave to a Gladiator. _That one's easier to write than this one because it's fluffier and doesn't require research. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	35. Chapter 35

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 35_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. There's always swearing, however.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Detectives Shaver, Mitchell and Palmer are mine, however, along with Officer Vic Bhalla, the tech guy. All the bad guys are mine too.

Author's notes: TARU stands for Technical Assistance Response Unit. OPP is an acronym for Ontario Provincial Police. Detective Danes is Marty, who was only ever seen once in Sanami Matoh's Fake. I gave him a last name because I thought he kind of needed one. And – here comes JJ! Please read and review.

Thank you to Mtemplar and Moontatoo for beta-ing this chapter, and thanks to loki-the-fraud for finding the Brooklyn Navy Yard for me!

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 35_

Ryo didn't relish being the one to have to tell the Chief that there was a mole at the 27th, but as he had never been one for procrastination, he went to see him as soon as he returned from taking Bikky and Carol to meet their lawyer. It was every bit as bad as he expected. The Chief raged and blustered, and even kicked one of the two guest chairs over. He told Ryo that he would talk to the Precinct commander about getting the names of anyone at the 27th who might have been investigated by IA in the last three years. However, they both knew that if there were any staff members who had been investigated at another precinct, even Captain Forsythe likely wouldn't be able to get that information.

"But the Commissioner could," Ryo had said. "He could request a list of names and cross reference it against the names of all 27th personnel who were on shift yesterday."

"Yeah, we could certainly set that in motion, Randy. But don't go kidding yourself that his secretary will get to _that_ little make-work project in less than three weeks."

"Dammit, Chief, you know I'd be willing to do it, if I could."

"I know that Randy, but you and I don't have clearance. We just have to let it go and hope it doesn't take six weeks. It really burns me to think of that joker having an inside guy here in MY home precinct, though. We're all gonna have to be more careful from now on."

Ryo had left the Chief's office even more determined to catch Abernathy. He hated the fact that Abernathy, criminal that he was, could break the law whenever it suited him, whereas the police who wanted to catch him had to observe every nuance of protocol. Well, at least Detective Shaver seemed to be coming around. Ryo felt an urgent need to keep the man alive if he could.

On the stairs, he passed the diligent and dutiful Helen trudging down with her purse over her shoulder and her arms full of files, no doubt heading home to spend the evening working hard for the Commissioner. Seeing her caused the formation of an interesting but outrageous idea, which he considered for a moment, and then dismissed. But he found he couldn't let go of it so easily.

He sat in his office, brooding about it for the next half hour. His mind kept going back to his conversation with the Commissioner the day before, wherein he had been told that his integrity was too hard and unyielding. After going over the pros and cons a few more times, he finally decided to take a most uncharacteristic course of action. He couldn't help grinning a little as he headed back down the stairs. Whether his plan was a success or a failure, at least he would have the satisfaction of surprising the hell out of Dee.

The voice on the other end of the phone was deep and masculine, yet the extra-clear enunciation that was partially due to a privileged upbringing and partially, in Ryo's opinion, a bit of an affectation, tended to give it a vaguely cultured sound.

"Rose here. This had better be good."

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you," Ryo said, holding his cell phone lightly to his ear, "but this is really important."

"That's all well and good," the Commissioner said. "But to whom am I speaking?"

Ryo's mouth tightened in annoyance. He was sure the Commissioner knew very well who was calling him.

"It's me, sir... Ryo MacLean."

"Ah," said the Commissioner. "I can't tell you how delighted I am to be talking to 'Ryo' for a change, instead of that stuffy 'Detective' MacLean or even 'Randy' MacLean. What can I do for you, Ryo? I take it you perhaps _need_ something from me?"

"Sir, we've had an important breakthrough. There's a big deal going down in Brooklyn tonight involving Corporate America and The Stone Bloods. Detective Shaver is an invited guest and he's willing to wear a wire."

"He is, is he? I'm delighted to hear that. I assume you thought better of your rather delightfully stubborn stance yesterday and said what you had to in order to get Shaver to cooperate?"

"No, sir," Ryo said firmly, hating the smugness in the Commissioner's voice. "He's willing to wear the wire anyway. He says this one is on him because he appreciates the fact that we were honest with him." He hoped that would give the Commissioner food for thought, but his hopes were immediately knocked flat.

"I'm disappointed, Ryo. If this is just a one-off, where will we be tomorrow? We have a lot of other work for Detective Shaver, don't forget. While I'm very happy to hear that Detective Danes, whom I'm guessing is lending you a hand in this pursuit, will be able to make a little progress on the work he's been doing with the 62nd Precinct in their investigation of Corporate America, I fail to understand how Detective Shaver's presence at this meeting tonight will be of assistance in the matter of your investigation of Lieutenant Abernathy."

"Shaver thinks the Dyre Street Devils are going to crash the party. According to our information, Lieutenant Abernathy is now working with the Devils."

"According to Shaver, you mean, who may or may not be telling the truth. However, let us proceed under the assumption that he is. Do you think Abernathy will be there tonight?"

"No, I don't. If the Devils attend the meeting, there'll be a shoot-out and there's no way Abernathy would let himself get mixed up in something like that. But he'll be nearby, though."

"Skulking?" The Commissioner's tone was sardonic, and Ryo rolled his eyes, trying to be patient.

"No sir. He'll be low-key, but he'll be there in his official capacity, probably with at least one of his detectives."

"Oh?" The Commissioner's voice had sharpened with interest at last.

"If anyone asks, he's following Detective Shaver," Ryo said, "A man whom he personally investigated and acquitted at the beginning of this year. Now he's 'wondering if he made a mistake', so he's doing an undercover investigation of him again. I bet you anything he has already cleared this with Chief Hennessy."

"How do you know this, Ryo?" The Commissioner asked in wondering tones.

"That's not important, sir," Ryo said, because he knew he could never explain to the Commissioner that he didn't know it for a _fact_, it was more that he knew it in his bones. "What's important is that Detective Shaver survives this meeting, come what may. You put me in charge of this case, and I've called up a surveillance van, some equipment and a team to assist. Marty's Brooklyn contacts are also bringing a van."

"Good work, Ryo. That's exactly what I would have expected you to do," said the Commissioner. "However, I'm still waiting to hear what it is that you want from me. I'm sure you didn't call me at home at almost eight p.m. just to give me a progress report."

"Sir, I really did want to give you a progress report, but you're right. There IS something I'm hoping you'll let me have."

"Well, tell me what it is, Ryo," said the Commissioner, and his voice dropped a note or two and took on that husky, slightly oily sound that made all Ryo's danger instincts come alive. He was glad he was across town from the Commissioner, because there was no way he could have said what he was about to say if he had been in the same room as the man.

The Commissioner continued. "You know how much I would enjoy meeting your needs, given the opportunity."

Ryo took the plunge. "Well, I'm glad to hear that sir, because I'm standing in your office and I'm looking at that vest you ordered from Pinnacle. I want it for Detective Shaver."

"You...You're in my office?"

Ryo was satisfied to note that he had never heard the Commissioner sounding quite so taken aback before.

"Yes, sir. And I'm in front of your open closet. That's a nice set of golf clubs you've got there, sir."

There was a brief silence from the other end of the line, during which Ryo wondered if he had gone too far, dared too much. If he had but known it, his bold move had aroused a grudging sense of admiration in the Commissioner's heart.

Every time Rose thought he had Ryo pegged, he went and did something charmingly unexpected like this. However, he hoped Ryo would refrain from searching through his personal belongings. There were one or two things in there that he would prefer no one knew about, especially Ryo.

"Ryo," he said in a deceptively mild voice. "I'm quite certain that I locked that closet."

"What can I say sir? It's not a very good lock. It yielded to persuasion." Ryo knew he was taking a huge chance by admitting that he had picked the lock to the Commissioner's personal closet, but his instincts told him that it was somehow going to be all right.

He was correct. He couldn't see it, of course, but the Commissioner's face was wearing an incredulous grin. He couldn't believe that Ryo was being honest with him about his transgression. Could it be that the beautiful detective was finally beginning to trust him just a little? If so, it wouldn't do to quash him, much as he hated the idea of that vest leaving his office. It was the best quality bullet-proof vest that money could buy and it had cost the 27th a pretty penny. If anything happened to it in tonight's operation, he wouldn't be able to easily get another one, at least not in this calendar year.

"Sir? Are you there?"

Commissioner Rose struggled with an urge to draw out the silence and thus cause Detective MacLean's confidence to start ebbing away. However, that wasn't really what he wanted, tempting though the thought might be.

"Yes, Ryo, I haven't gone anywhere." He sighed in a long-suffering way. "I'm just attempting to digest the information that one of my detectives, in fact the LAST detective I would have expected such behavior from, has illicitly entered my office and obtained totally unauthorized access to my personal closet. You surprise me, Ryo."

Ryo could hear the smile in the Commissioner's voice and he almost sighed with relief. That was a good sign. For once, he was also relieved that the Commissioner was still calling him Ryo, even though it normally bothered him that Rose addressed every other detective in the building as 'Detective' this or "Detective' that, but it was only Ryo that he singled out by his first name. And it particularly bothered him to be called 'Ryo', a name that he preferred to reserve for use by family and close friends. If the Commissioner absolutely had to address him by his first name, he would have preferred 'Randy', which was his non-Japanese name. But right now, it was significant that he was still 'Ryo'. What usually happened on those rare occasions where the Commissioner was displeased with him or otherwise in a bad mood, was that he would address him as 'Detective MacLean'. That hadn't happened on this occasion, so he guessed his job was safe for the time being.

"I didn't think anything could surprise you, sir."

"I'm only human, Ryo, a point I feel you sometimes forget."

"That's not true, sir. I've noticed you being quite fallibly human on a number of occasions." Ryo couldn't help grinning.

That elicited a laugh from the Commissioner. "Touche, touche. I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, Ryo, but it's most...intriguing."

"Sir, I'm just taking your advice and trying out the flexibility of my integrity, that's all. Oh, and I'm also all fired up about the case, as well. Now may I please borrow the vest?"

"May I ask what's wrong with the extremely expensive and high quality kevlar vests we recently paid twelve million dollars for? Shaver should have his own."

"He can't go home, sir. The Devils were following him right up until the point that Dee helped him go into hiding. They're probably waiting for him at his apartment in the Bronx. Dee and I thought about lending him one of ours, but even though Dee's and my vests are concealable under clothing, they aren't going to do the job. They'll stop .44 and .357 rounds from a distance of 15 feet, but if the Devils arrive, they'll be packing heavier ammo. Shaver is going in as NYPD undercover, so he's obligated to testify on the events of this evening. I want him back in one piece, and your Dragon is his best chance."

"Ryo..." The Commissioner sighed again. "If it were anyone else..."

"Does this mean you're letting me take the vest sir?" Ryo couldn't keep the excitement from his voice.

"Yes, you might as well take it. But I want it spotless when you return it. Make sure you wipe it down properly after Detective Shaver no doubt _perspires_ in it during the arduous evening that awaits him."

"Thank you, sir. I'll take care of that."

"And, Ryo?"

"Yes?"

"Bring it back to me personally, with breakfast and _without_ Detective Laytner, at 0800 hours tomorrow. I'll expect a full report at that time."

Wondering how on earth he was going to explain that to Dee, Ryo paused briefly before he answered. "Yes, sir. Thank you for being so understanding about this."

"I'm a very understanding man, Ryo. I understand all sorts of things that would come as a surprise to those who think they know me. But you're most welcome and I look forward to our breakfast meeting tomorrow. I hope you'll be able to bring me good news."

"I hope so too, sir. Good night."

&

"Why does it have to be MY apartment?" JJ complained, rubbing at a ring left on his coffee table by someone's coffee cup. "You guys are making a mess! Ryo is the only one who bothered to wipe his feet, and I just got my carpets cleaned on Monday. You really ought to be doing this at the precinct."

"Sorry, JJ, but that's not - Did you say Ryo was here?" Dee swiveled his head around looking for his partner.

"Yeah, he's talking to those Brooklyn guys in the kitchen." JJ gestured with his cleaning cloth. "But back to _me_ and _my_ apartment, if you don't mind. Whose stupid idea was it to drag the whole dog and pony show here?"

"It was MY idea, and it's a fucking brilliant one, if I do say so myself. I mean, think about it. The precinct is really not an an option. This is a top-secret operation and if we take Shaver to the 27th, he might be seen by whoever that spy is. Ryo's place is out on account of the kid, and my place is out on account of the fact that the main guy we're after has done some checking on me and we can't take the chance that he might be having my place watched."

"Well, why not Drake's place or Ted's place?" JJ started working on a sticky patch on the arm of his leather armchair where someone had spilled some cream and sugar.

"You've seen Ted's place. It's only slightly bigger than our gear lockers. And Drake has a date tonight, so we can't go to his place. Besides your apartment is bigger than everyone else's and we have to fit quite a few guys in here tonight, plus equipment."

JJ turned shocked eyes toward Dee and his hand paused mid-wipe. "Drake has a date tonight?"

"Yeah, didn't he tell you?"

"Obviously not!" JJ had gone from mildly peeved to seriously pissy in the space of about fifteen seconds. "How on earth did Drake get a date? I --I mean, aren't we all supposed to be gay?"

"I believe there was some begging involved," said Marty, who had just walked up to them. "Dee, we're ready to--"

"Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that Marty knows about this date of Drake's too? Does everyone know except me?"

"Uhh, JJ, let's talk about this later, okay?"

"No, it is not friggin' okay! I want to know who it is! Is it anyone I know? And this date had just_ better _be with a woman..."

"A woman?" Dee asked, and he and Marty looked at each other open-mouthed. He could tell that even Marty thought that was an odd thing for JJ to have said. "Do you know something about Drake that we don't?"

"Come on," said Marty. "Drake's as straight as all get-out. Of course it's a woman. It's that girl, Annette, from Records."

"Annette?" JJ practically screeched. "Oh my God! That hussy will eat him alive! And she's so fat, too! What on earth does he see in her?"

Dee and Marty looked at each other again, but in amusement this time.

"JJ, I wouldn't call her exactly fat," Dee said.

"Just nicely rounded," added Marty with a grin that flashed white against the darkness of his skin.

"VERY nicely rounded," put in Dee and both men laughed.

"Oh, I don't know why I bother to talk to you two. You guys are a couple of pigs." JJ stomped off to the kitchen.

"Where's your guy?" Marty asked Dee.

"Bedroom. He thinks he's going to catch a few Zees. As if."

"Well, we're almost ready to get him suited up, if you wanna go get him."

"Suited up? I thought we were only doing a wire."

"Ryo mentioned there was some risk of shooting tonight, and somehow he got the Commissioner to okay a Dragon System vest. It's always nice if the guy with the wire stays alive to testify."

"The NYPD has Dragon system vests?" Dee was incredulous.

"Not exactly. The 27th has exactly one. It's mostly reserved for his Royal Highness in case he ever wants to get his hands dirty and muck about in the field."

"I can't believe the bastard's parting with it. But then if Ryo asked him..." The wheels in Dee's mind started to turn and a grim expression came over his face.

"Look, let's just get on with it," Marty said. "Go get your Detective Shaver. I wanna have enough time to test the wire and make sure all systems are go. It would seriously suck if we had a bad connection at the crucial moment."

Just then, JJ marched up to them, his eyes stormy. "What's that Shaver guy doing in my bedroom? He's actually stretched out on my bed, on my NEW comforter with his shoes on! And he doesn't smell that great, I'll be perfectly honest with you there. I want someone to get him out of there before he..."

"Before he what?" Marty asked.

"Before he finds any of my personal, as in battery-operated, belongings, one of which is underneath the pillow his grimy head happens to be resting on," said JJ pointedly to Dee.

"TMI, man!"

"I'll get him," Marty said hastily, turning away. But before he could even take a step, they heard a horrified roar from the bedroom, and Ned Shaver wrenched the door open looking traumatized and disoriented.

Ryo, who had rushed out of the kitchen at the sound of the bellow, was the first to arrive at his side. "What happened?"

Incoherent and wide-eyed, Shaver just pointed at the bed. One of the pillows was wiggling slightly and emitting a buzzing sound.

"Out of my way!" JJ pushed past them and went into his bedroom, slamming the door violently behind him.

"What the hell was that?" Shaver asked in a subdued voice.

"It's a SEX TOY, you moron!" JJ shouted from behind the door. "You clearly don't have a very exciting sex life if you've never seen one of those before!"

"But...but he's a GUY," Shaver protested, trying to catch Ryo's eye. Ryo just looked uncomfortable and retreated back to the kitchen.

"You evidently haven't heard about our precinct, dude." Grinning, Ted slung an arm around Detective Shaver's shoulder and led him back to the living room. "Come on, let's get that wire on you."

"Not yet," Marty said. "Hey JJ! Can you come out of there for a sec?"

JJ yanked the bedroom door open and glowered at him. "Marty," he said, "the next person who enters my bedroom, except Dee, of course, gets a bullet through his left testicle. Am I making myself clear?"

"Uh...Perfectly. Don't worry, I'll tell the guys to stay out of there, okay? Now listen. The tape for the wire sticks better on skin that's clean. We're gonna need to have Shaver use your shower."

Both Dee and Marty took an involuntary step backward at the sight of JJ's face. They couldn't help but notice that his hand was creeping toward the semi-automatic pistol in his holster. Dee belatedly realized that things would go better if he turned on the charm. He flashed JJ a brilliant smile.

"Come on, JJ, don't be mad," he cajoled. "You're doing us a huge favor tonight and we're all grateful. Right Marty?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

"HOW grateful?" Ignoring Marty, JJ looked challengingly at Dee.

"Not grateful enough to wanna see your whole collection," Dee warned, jerking his head toward JJ's bedroom, "so don't go getting any ideas. But pretty damn grateful, nonetheless."

JJ folded his arms. "I want lunch tomorrow. Just you, no Ryo."

"Sorry, JJ, no can do. I've got a funeral to go to in Brooklyn at eleven."

"Breakfast, then. AND I want a hug," JJ said.

Dee glanced uneasily over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, he can't hear you. He's in the kitchen making sandwiches for all these bastards whose parents obviously never taught them not to laugh at other people's decor choices or put their feet up on other people's coffee tables," JJ said bitterly.

"Okay, breakfast," Dee said. "And a very brief hug. There will be NO kissing or leg humping! Capiche?"

JJ's eyes suddenly began to sparkle. "Oh, you and your vanilla hugs," he said flirtatiously. His whole manner had undergone a change. "I leave it up to you to surprise me with the details, Mr. Sexy. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna order a couple of pizzas." He walked into the living room with the spring back in his step, thinking, _And we certainly won't mention it to Ryo until after the deed is done, because I wouldn't put it past that dog in the manger to spoil everything!_

Dee went and found Ryo in the kitchen, where he really was making sandwiches, exactly as JJ had said. The better-looking of the two Brooklyn detectives who were to accompany them tonight was standing next to him, pretending to help by holding a loaf of bread. Dee didn't like the way the guy was checking out Ryo's body.

"Detective Mitchell, there you are!" he said. "Your partner was just looking for you in the living room." Dee jerked his thumb in that direction.

"Are you sure? He told me to get out of his hair and help with the food," the man replied, a confused little frown on his handsome, freckled face.

"Well, he wants your input on pizza toppings. JJ's trying to order double anchovy garlic, but your partner thinks we should get something that won't make the closed atmosphere of a surveillance vehicle a stink bomb on wheels. He needs you to go back him up."

"Oh, I see! Yes, there's no way we want double anchovy garlic pizza. Randy, can you spare me for a few minutes?"

"Sure, Bill. I'm fine here, really."

The minute Detective Mitchell was gone, Dee swooped in and kissed Ryo's neck, muttering, "Fuck off already, '_Bill'_." Ryo swatted him away with a sound of annoyance, and a swift glance around to make sure no one had seen. Dee gave him a rueful grin and backed off a couple of paces to lean against the stove.

"How'd it go with Lindsay Masters?"

"Pretty good. He's a really high-powered, tough talking guy, even to his paying clients. Bikky was impressed, and kind of intimidated. He decided to forgive me because he didn't want to be alone with his own lawyer."

"I'm sorry I couldn't go with you. You know I really wanted to be there."

"I understand, but you did the right thing. Business first. This is a great opportunity we've got with Shaver. We couldn't let it slip by. I'm hoping it'll lead to more cooperation from him. Maybe this freebie he's giving us is sort of like an icebreaker."

"Maybe. If he doesn't stop a bullet, that is. Hey, I hear you got the Commissioner to okay his Dragon. How the hell did you get him to agree to that?"

"Oh, I got Julian the cleaning guy to let me into his office and then I picked the lock on his closet door to make sure the vest was there before I asked him for it."

Dee's mouth dropped open for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. "You...You picked the lock? _You?_ I don't fucking believe this!"

"I'm a man of many talents," said Ryo modestly, blushing with pleasure because he had managed to surprise Dee. "But don't tell Bikky, okay?"

"You certainly are," said Dee, shaking his head in admiration. "And I wouldn't want Bikky to know the half of them."

At that moment, Detective Mitchell returned. "I'm back to help you, Randy," he said with an enthusiastic smile for Ryo, and a challenging look for Dee.

"Excellent," said Dee, grabbing a plate and tossing some of the assembled salami and lettuce sandwiches onto it. "Why don't you take these sandwiches to that hungry bunch of animals in the living room? Pizza's likely to take 45 minutes at this time of night." He thrust the plate at Detective Mitchell, and turned back to Ryo, saying, "What did the lawyer recommend?"

Detective Mitchell pressed his lips together in a hard line and left the kitchen. Dee smirked at Ryo, who in turn scolded him for being rude.

"Rude, schmude. I'm just staking my claim. That guy was looking at you like he wanted to introduce you to a different kind of salami."

"He was?" Ryo looked at Dee in shock. "I'm sure you're mistaken, Dee. He was just being friendly. Besides, he was wearing a wedding ring."

"Yeah, I saw. Guy's really got a problem, huh? He wants a salami, but he's married to a cannelloni."

"Dee! You are such..." Ryo's voice trailed away and his lips twitched with the effort of looking serious and disapproving.

Ted cocked an ear at the burst of laughter that came from the kitchen, and then smiled to himself.

"What the hell are they laughing about in there?" said one of the surveillance guys in a petulant tone. "Don't they know we've got work to do tonight?"

"Oh, Dee always gets Ryo laughing," remarked Ted and took another bite of his second sandwich.

"Who the hell is Ryo?" asked Detective Mitchell.

Ted shook his head dismissively. "Nefugh mind," he said with his mouth full.

&

Ned Shaver stepped out of a taxi a block from the restaurant he had left his car in front of. He looked back a little uncertainly at Detective Laytner, the man who knew all his dirty secrets. He knew that Laytner looked down on him, although he was politic enough not to show it, and Ned didn't blame him one bit. When it came right down to it, Detective Shaver looked down on himself. He still couldn't quite believe that he had been brought to such a pass, when he had always prided himself on being able to fight his way out of whatever crap life sent his way. It had sent him a lot of it over the years; he had certainly inherited the legendary shitty luck of the Shavers.

Hands thrust firmly in his pockets, Shaver forced himself to meet the other man's eyes. Detective Laytner regarded him steadily for a moment with the knowing gaze of a man who fully understood the acute level of danger that the night's work would bring. Shaver wondered if the man also understood how the feeling of working with the police again, instead of against them, had made him feel that he could stand a fraction straighter today than yesterday. Inwardly, however, he felt deeply and permanently soiled. Even if he somehow managed to get away with all the things he had done, he knew that he could never hold his head up among honest cops again.

"Hey," Detective Laytner began. "Remember that night we were drinking in the bar? You said you did some checking on me."

"Yeah," said Shaver, curious in spite of the load that was on his mind.

"Well, did you happen to find out about my dad?"

"No." The Bronx detective was a little surprised. "I just looked into your career record a little, that's all. I also heard you grew up in an orphanage."

"I don't know why I'm telling you this, but yeah, I had a dad. More of a father-figure than a real dad, but he was important to me."

A vision of Kevin's cheerful, slightly chubby face suddenly rose up in Detective Shaver's mind and made him feel sad. He tried to push it away. Dammit, why was Laytner suddenly talking about fathers and sons?

Laytner paused to speak a couple of words to the driver of the idling taxi, then got out of the rear passenger door and joined Shaver on the sidewalk. "Anyway," he continued, "my old man was a cop who went wrong. He did some work for the mob, in exchange for a piece of the action. I figured he probably went into it thinking he could make some quick cash and get out whenever he'd had enough. He couldn't have really known what he was getting himself into, because I don't believe he ever would have taken that first step, if he had. Finally, he realized that he was in a kind of twilight zone with them - not really one of them, but no way out - and he had no choice but to try to live with it."

Detective Shaver stared at him. Holy shit. He never would have guessed this about Laytner. "What happened to him?"

"The assholes he had to deal with, they were like wild animals. They still are. It's just the breed. But when a man gets too close to monsters, eventually they follow him home. One of 'em got too interested in me, so my dad put a bullet in him. They came after him, naturally. He didn't last long after that."

"Jesus Christ."

"You understand what I'm saying here? The other day, that was me in your bathroom, not your kid. But next time it could be him. And if he ever hears something he shouldn't, you know what's gonna happen."

"What the hell would you have me do? You know my whole sorry story! I'm fucked, no matter which way I turn."

"Find a way to get your family outta the city, man. You've become a danger to them. Borrow money if you have to, but make it happen."

Shaken, Shaver retreated into stubbornness. He hunched his shoulders and looked away. "I dunno."

"Yes you do, Detective. Better than anybody. And take it from someone who's been there: you're the only father your son has. Don't try to be a hero tonight. I'm sure your boy would rather have a disgraced but live dad than a dead hero one."

"You're forgetting 'disgraced and equally dead jailbird dad'." Shaver's face was grim. "But...I know I got some thinking to do." The fact was that he had already made up his mind what had to be done, but Laytner didn't need to know that just yet. "Listen, since we're on the subject of my kid...He told me recently that he wants to be a cop when he's older. If, uh, I'm somehow not around in the future, would you mind looking him up? Tell him not to turn out like his old man. I don't ever want Kevin to go through what I'm going through."

"Sure," said Dee. "IF you're not around, I'll make sure to look him up. But I hope for his sake that won't be necessary." After a moment's hesitation, he stuck out his hand. "Good luck tonight, man."

"Uh, thanks," Shaver mumbled, shaking the proffered hand. "Thanks for saving my neck today in Little Italy."

"Don't mention it." Dee knew that wasn't what Shaver was really thanking him for. "It's enough that you're wearing a wire for us."

Detective Shaver nodded brusquely and turned away, but Detective Laytner called his name. He stopped and looked back.

"God be with you, Detective."

The guy seemed so serious that Detective Shaver hid his surprise and nodded his thanks before he started walking toward his car. He hadn't had Laytner pegged for a God-fearing man, but what the hell. _No point in telling him that God doesn't give a rat's ass about guys like me_, he thought to himself.

His car was where he had left it this afternoon. It had a stack of parking tickets on it, but the 27th had pulled strings to prevent it from being towed. He peered in through the windows. It was still locked and it didn't look like anyone had tampered with it. The back seat was full of stuff he had taken out of the trunk earlier, and it looked like a junkmobile, even according to his own not terribly high standards of cleanliness. He wished he had had time to clean out the car a little bit. It sure wouldn't show to advantage sitting next to the high-end vehicles that were likely to be at the meeting tonight.

Well, fuck 'em, he thought, feeling defiant. It wasn't how a car looked, his old man had said to him on several occasions, it was how it performed. His car's performance had always been sufficient for his needs. He hoped it would be tonight, too. But in the next moment he called himself back to reality. No drug dealer's Mercedes or Porsche would have a dead junkie's crappy old tool box and a kid's bike in it.

The first thing he did was to open the hood and reconnect the battery. If Laytner was watching him from down the block, he was probably wondering what the hell he was doing. He smiled grimly to himself. Let him wonder. This particular evening would give him plenty more to wonder about before it was over.

&

"Here he comes," said JJ who was watching one of the monitors inside the van. Ryo quickly moved to lean over his shoulder and squint at the grainy image. It was all darkness and bright headlights and he couldn't make out any details.

"How do you know it's him?" asked Vic Bhalla, one of the two TARU tech officers that were working with them that evening.

"By his crappy car," JJ replied. "We've had an Audi, a couple of Mercedes, a Range Rover, three BMWs and a Lexus so far. Who else would be coming down here to this specific part of the Navy Yard at almost midnight in a big old family-sized Buick? I bet it's at least ten years old and all dinged up."

"Can you see that?" asked Ryo, frowning.

JJ rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I can see the pizza crumbs on his dashboard, too. Of course not, Ryo! I'm just guessing about the car's age and dings, based on my personal assessment of Detective Shaver. Hmm, I wonder why he's stopping way back there? The other cars just drove straight into the building through the delivery doors."

Everyone crowded around the screen that relayed images from the camera discreetly mounted at the rear of the vehicle. Shaver could be seen getting out of the car and pitching what looked like a kid's bicycle behind some shrubby plants in front of the building behind them.

"What the hell is he doing?" asked Vic, sounding surprised.

"I guess he's belatedly cleaning out his car before the meeting," said JJ sarcastically. "Just like it didn't occur to him to wear a tie." JJ was still pissed off that, on top of all the other indignities he had had to suffer that evening, the team had demanded that he lend the tie-less Detective Shaver one of his ties for them to clip the microphone to. It was a very clever microphone that had been designed to look like a tie pin. The wire went down inside Shaver's shirt and around to the transmitter attached to the back of his belt.

JJ had protested that his ties were by big name designers. "I love ALL of my ties!" he had wailed. "I don't want any of them to get worn to a drug dealer meeting in a scuzzy old warehouse!" He had only relented because Dee had agreed to go into his bedroom with him and help him select a tie that was appropriate for Detective Shaver. Dee, who was obviously trying to sweet-talk him, had given him several compliments, telling him that certain ties suited his coloring, personality or style, and JJ had milked the attention for all it was worth. When Dee had finally culled a chartreuse and primrose-yellow Hermes number from the herd of JJ's ties and denounced it for its ability to make JJ look sallow, the young sharpshooter was more than ready to sacrifice it for the greater good. But later when he remembered that it had cost 155 on sale, he got pissed off all over again. If he hadn't been so dazzled by Dee's cologne and his way his jeans were hugging the curves of his lean, but powerful thighs and narrow, masculine hips, he would have been able to summon enough presence of mind to demand that Detective Mitchell relinquish_ his_ tie, which was clearly a Chinese knock-off.

He sighed as he remembered how Dee had begged to be allowed to come along tonight, and how that rotten Ryo had refused him.

"I'm lead detective on this case," Ryo had said firmly. "We not only have enough staff, but you're still on a sick day, and I want you to rest. Besides, if I'm kept up really late tonight, one of us should be well-rested enough to drive to the funeral tomorrow. Most importantly," he had added, pulling Dee to one side, "We're leaving before you guys to get established at the Navy Yard. Shaver's _your_ contact. Make sure he goes through with it."

Dee had been very disappointed at what JJ considered to be Ryo's heartlessness, but he had acquiesced. Just remembering it made JJ want to glare at Ryo now, but of course he kept his eyes on the monitor he was assigned to. He would have enjoyed this assignment a lot more if Dee had been with them in the close working quarters this van necessitated. They had to brush past each other to move from one station to another, and Ryo's knee had already bumped against his a couple of times. Too bad it wasn't Dee. And he didn't even want to think about what Drake might be doing on his date tonight with that walking bosom, Annette. How _could_ he, the bastard? After how close they had gotten on their trip to Canada, too. It was too bad men had to be such idiots.

They watched Shaver toss a couple of other items after the bike and then get back in his vehicle.

"We got sound?" Marty asked Vic.

"Not yet. Either we've got a malfunction or he hasn't turned on the transmitter yet."

Tensely, they watched as Detective Shaver's Buick drove in through the big bay doors of the appointed meeting place.

"Come on, sound," prayed Ryo.

"Amen," added Vic. "Oh good, there we go! Talk about last minute." He looked relieved.

"I have a feeling that 'last-minute' would pretty well sum up everything about that guy," JJ muttered.

"Shhh!" Ryo grabbed for his headphones.

The four men sat in silence in the darkened interior of a van that had "Dan's Roofing" painted on its sides and listened to the voices in the warehouse. They heard Shaver shut his car engine off and then the sound of him opening and closing the driver's door of his vehicle. Voices grunted a greeting, but one voice was louder than the rest.

"Detective Shaver! So glad you could join us." The voice held a hint of sarcasm, but was jovial enough.

"Sorry, Ibo," said Shaver. "Am I late?"

"Technically, no. But a few more minutes and we'd have had to assume that the Devils got you."

"Not this time."

"Have you met Frank Rizzo? Frank, this is Detective Shaver, one of our tame cops. His badge says NYPD, but he really works for us."

There was a low burst of ugly laughter from several throats. Ryo found himself shaking his head and gritting his teeth. He was glad Dee hadn't been there to hear that.

A new voice came over the line, higher and more nervous than Ryo had expected such a renowned crime boss to have. It didn't contrast well against Essien Ibo's deep, musical tones.

"Shaver, huh? Narcotics, I presume? Which precinct?"

"Bronx," Shaver answered shortly. They noticed that he declined to give the specific precinct.

"Ibo," said Rizzo's breathless voice. "Let's get down to business. I'm a busy man. Are yer people clear on the plan?"

"We need the delivery date. It's gotta be pretty specific. A set of brothers hanging out near the Mohawk reserve for too long is bound to attract attention."

"We've got a date. It's coming in by float plane about 2 a.m. a week from tonight. Ya gotta move fast. Get in, get out."

"Are the Mohawks likely to be any trouble?"

"Naw, they're in on it."

"All of 'em?"

"No, just a couple of key players. Pay 'em what they ask for, on top of the cigarettes. They're amateurs - they could ask for more, but they don't know it. Last year we tried to negotiate and they got pissy."

"Does the reserve have its own police?"

"On the Canadian side, yeah. They collaborate with the OPP. But ya gotta watch out for State Troopers too. This ain't yer first job upstate, right?"

Ibo laughed shortly. "Hell, no. We used to bring in shipments from Cayuga County. Oneida, too. But recently there's been more money in Jersey."

"Well, there's big money in this deal, and more for the future IF you and yer guys don't screw up. Tony! Open the case."

"Yes, boss."

Rizzo continued. "That's a quarter million right there. With your hundred grand, you'll have the fee. You do the math for the street value. Yer gonna need low key transport, by the way."

"No problem. We've brought stuff across the border before. Will you be wanting your cut the night we get back?"

"No, we'll be in touch. I wanna make sure you don't come back with the police on your asses."

There was a moment of silence, followed by some rustling and murmuring that no one could catch.

"No, not me." It was Ibo's voice, but he didn't seem to be speaking to Rizzo. "Give the money to the cop."

There were some more indistinct noises and then Ibo spoke again. "Let's settle the details of your cut and mine. I'm not happy with the percentage."

They continued the negotiations while the men in the van outside listened avidly. They were parked in a small lot a short block and a half from the warehouse that the meeting was being held in. They had cameras pointing in three directions, and they could see the two sentries at the front of the building. Detectives Mitchell and Palmer, along with Ted and the other TARU tech were in another van on the opposite side of the building, watching the official front entrance and any lookout guys posted over there as well.

"Here comes trouble," JJ warned in a low voice.

"What is it?" asked Marty softly.

"Headlights at the top of the street. More than one car. Coming fast."

"Shit, where'd that guy come from?" Marty exclaimed. "He just took out both the sentries!" Heads turned toward his monitor, where a lone figure could be seen standing over one of the fallen guards. He was holding a gun whose long barrel indicated a silencer.

Two sleek black sedans abruptly roared up, accompanied by half a dozen motorcycles, and together they effectively blocked the bay entrance to the warehouse. As the trunks of the cars popped open, the motorbike riders swarmed over to snatch up automatic weapons from inside them before hurrying to the open door.

Ryo, Marty and Vic kept their headphones on and listened to the reactions inside.

"What the fuck is this?" Frank Rizzo was screaming. "How the fuck did they find us? Yer people were careless, that's what fucking happened!"

He continued yelling but his voice moved away, and Ibo's voice could be heard shouting instructions to his men.

"Jimmy, take cover! Luke, get those guys away from the door! Shaver, you pussy. Stash that cash somewhere and let me see your piece in your hand. We need every man on deck, including you! Fucking -"

His next words were lost in a burst of gunfire.

JJ's phone vibrated in his pocket. "Detective Adam--" he started to say, but Detective Palmer's voice interrupted him. "What the hell's going on over there? We hear gunfire!"

"The Devils arrived, and they're shooting it out."

"Holy Fuck. Did you call it in?"

"Ten four," said JJ, having glanced at Ryo, who had snatched up the radio and was in the process of doing that.

"What about the guy inside? Is this a 10-13?"

"Are you suggesting we break cover?" JJ said to Detective Palmer. He looked at Ryo again, who shook his head vehemently.

"Detective Shaver's all alone in there." Detective Palmer sounded agitated.

"Negative, unit one. Stay put and wait for back-up." JJ hung up and looked anxiously at Marty and Ryo, suddenly feeling bad about all his negative comments regarding Detective Shaver's car and organizational skills. "Do you think he has a chance?"

"There's always a chance," said Marty reassuringly, but it sounded as though he were forcing himself.

"He'll be okay," insisted Ryo fiercely. "He's wearing a dragon vest, after all. And there's gonna be at least sixteen patrol units here in a minute. He just has to keep his head down and hold on until they get here."

JJ nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was was drowned out by a colossal explosion that rocked the ground under them. A huge fireball erupted out through the bay doors, catching a running figure and turning him into a human torch. The motorcycles in front burst into flames, and two lesser explosions could be heard from inside, as presumably, some of the vehicles' gas tanks exploded.

They stared from the video screen to each other with open mouths, all thinking the same thing. An inferno was raging inside the building, growing larger with each passing second. If the explosion hadn't killed everyone inside, the fire certainly would.

It would take a miracle for Detective Shaver to come walking out of that warehouse, now.

end of chapter 35

Additional author's notes: 10-13 is an NYPD code meaning 'assist police officer'. Apologies to anyone who drives a Buick.


	36. Chapter 36

**Fake First Year together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 36_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. There's always swearing, however.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Detectives Shaver and Collins are mine, however, along with Sergeant Blake, Lieutenant Abernathy, and Alan Radley. I have not based these characters on any living person.

Author's notes: I'm sorry for the longer-than-usual delay in posting, but it's always crazy days at work for me in April and May. Ruins my birthday every year! Grrr. I've had less time than usual to write recently.

Thank you to Mtemplar and my _dad_, (believe it or not!) for beta-ing this chapter with their practical and scientific minds. Thanks to Moontatoo for pointing out all those places where I needed new paragraphs, as well as reminding me about the press. Thanks to Erin for the Navy Yard, a really fabulous location for the activities of this chapter

**A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 36_

Inside the warehouse, Ned Shaver stood within the sheltering hollow of one of the steel I-beam supporting pillars, which had protected him from the shock wave of the explosion. The flame front had raced out from the ignition point, but he hadn't been caught in it thanks to the pillar, although he was somewhat singed, and his ears were ringing. Or was that the fire alarm? He couldn't say. The multiple explosions had been as loud as anything he'd ever heard. To his astonishment, he found he was still clutching the silver metal briefcase full of cash that he'd been directed to hold at the beginning of the meeting. He looked around him cautiously. Anything that was capable of burning was now on fire: containers, fixtures, cars and human beings. The worst of the fire was back among the cars. The explosion seemed to have taken care of most of the Devils and CA guys, hurling them in all directions and setting their clothes and hair on fire. There were bodies and body parts everywhere; the stink of burning flesh was nothing short of horrific. Shaver's watery eyes caught movement amidst the smoke and he realized that a few Stone Bloods were still alive, thanks to Ibo's quick thinking and orders to take cover. He caught sight of Ibo himself, protected the same way he was, by another I-beam pillar on the opposite side of the warehouse. The Leader of the Stone Bloods raised his arm and shouted something to him, but right as he did so, there was another deafening explosion as another one of the cars' gas tanks blew, and the roar snatched his words away.

Like the previous explosions, it shook the floor under him, causing Shaver to stumble. He thought it best to drop into a crouch - surely there would be more explosions as the fire found the gas tanks of each expensive car formerly owned by gang members. Sweating, and terrified, Shaver didn't know what to do. He was still so surprised to be still alive and in one piece that he was temporarily at a loss. It had been instinct, pure and simple that had prompted him to suddenly leap behind the column. Now, he didn't know if he should move out from his sheltered spot or stay where he was. The main problem was that the flames everywhere were burning up the available oxygen and he was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. The air was already so hot he imagined he could feel it burning the tissues of his mouth and throat.

He glanced over in Ibo's direction again, and in between great billowing clouds of smoke, was shocked to see that the leader of the Stone Bloods had moved. He was now crawling toward the Bronx detective, his big Glock 20 in one hand. Lit by the flames, eyes accusing and terrible, he appeared to the overwrought Ned Shaver to be like a demon crawling out of hell. Essien Ibo was a large man, fiercely intelligent and physically imposing, even when he was flat on his belly. The look on his bleeding and soot-streaked face told Shaver that Ibo had perhaps guessed one or more of his secrets. One thing was certain: he was definitely more afraid of Ibo than he was of the fire. He knew he had to move, but where?

A flash of dark movement arrested his attention. A big guy in a black hoodie, eyes slitted against the smoke, lips pressed firmly together, was making a run for it, heading toward the back of the building. It looked like Jimmy, Ibo's right hand goon. Where the hell was he going? Maybe there was another way out. This warehouse was part of the Stone Bloods' territory, after all. They, more than anyone else here tonight, would know the layout of the building.

Shaver stood up to follow him, but immediately got a serious lungful of smoke. Things were obviously better down on the floor. Dropping back down, he shot another nervous glance at Ibo, and was alarmed to discover that he was making pretty good time. Shaver sent the silver metal briefcase skittering in his direction in the hopes it would slow him down, and then started crawling after Jimmy. It was hard to hear above the shrilling of the alarm and the crackling of the flames, but it sounded like a few of the brothers were still exchanging occasional shots. He wondered how they could even see to shoot, what with the choking, hazy smoke getting thicker by the second.

His breath was now coming in labored gasps, and sweat soaked his body, feeling wet and sticky under his shirt and that damn vest. Sweat sprang out on his face as well, but almost instantly evaporated in the baking heat. The floor was covered in smoking debris, painfully hot and hard beneath his elbows and knees. It was like crawling over hot coals. Looking back, he realized that Ibo was gaining on him. It was no use - he couldn't go any faster with his injured knee and also with the way his heart was pounding from having to put out maximum effort on minimum oxygen. He had made it halfway across the open space of the floor when he felt a powerful hand close around his ankle.

&

A couple of blocks away on a narrow side street between two warehouses, Lieutenant Michael Abernathy stepped uneasily out of his car. Where the hell was that boy? He had sent him to the main road to check what was happening over at the source of the explosion, but the idiot had disappeared. He should have been back by now. He'd better not have gone too close to the warehouse just so he could gape at the fire and perhaps get himself shot. Lieutenant Abernathy was interested in maintaining a low profile tonight. He wanted to find out what was happening and get out of there quickly, hopefully before the Navy Yard became choked with emergency vehicles, which it was likely to be very soon, judging by the sound of the sirens he could hear growing louder in the distance. Dammit, if Collins wasn't back soon, he would drive off and leave the ignorant shithead to take the bus home. Lieutenant Abernathy had very little patience with rookie detectives who didn't follow orders.

He looked up at the sky, where thick black smoke was rising rapidly, lit by the street lamps around the warehouse. It was a big fire, obviously. He popped an antacid into his mouth and chewed it nervously. He hoped they'd all managed to get out in time...Well, the important ones anyway. Ned Shaver, he didn't give a damn about. That fellow had been nothing but trouble recently. He had played his unwitting part tonight to perfection, obligingly driving here with a GPS homing device attached to the undercarriage of his car. Mike had been glad to be able to perform this little service for the Devils, and he hoped that they hadn't all perished in whatever conflagration had happened in the warehouse. Not that he cared on a personal level, but he had money invested in them and he was expecting an eight grand payout at the end of the week. It would be bloody hard to collect if they were all dead.

&

Detective Shaver looked back and saw that it was indeed the Stone Bloods' leader who had him by the ankle in a bone-crushing grip. The man's face was a mask of murderous rage. Panic rose in him as he tried, unsuccessfully, to shake off his assailant and crawl forward, but his body was heavy and hot and the Dragon vest was squeezing him so that he felt he couldn't properly gather his strength, or even breathe. His fingers reached instinctively for his weapon, however. In another few seconds, Ibo had clambered up on top of him, and Shaver rolled onto his back to face him, an animal at bay. The Glock was jammed painfully up under the side of his jaw, and Ibo snatched at his tie with his other hand, pulling the microphone and its wire out of his shirt.

"You! You double-crossing motherfucker. You think you can fuck ME? You did this -- ALL of this, and you're gonna--" He paused to gasp in the smoky air for the breath he needed to continue in this vein, unaware that Shaver's 9mm was pressed lightly against his ribcage. The Bronx detective didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. The gunshot, when it came, could barely be heard, as it happened to coincide with the explosion of yet another vehicle's gas tank. Ibo's body recoiled and he pulled his own trigger reflexively as he felt the slug rip into him, tearing muscle and breaking bone. In turn, Shaver felt the burn of the Glock's bullet as he turned his head, closing his eyes against the specter of death...

&

Lieutenant Abernathy walked away from his car and out to the larger road abutting the side street he was parked on. Even before he had reached it, he could hear the crackling roar of the flames that were shooting up through the broken roof of the warehouse. The Devils' cars and motorcycles were all on fire in front of the main doors. Definitely not a good sign. There was no sign of life, not even any parked vehicles except for one that looked like it belonged to a roofing company. Detective Collins, naturally, was nowhere in sight. What the hell did the lad think he was up to? The lieutenant decided to return to his car.

If he hadn't turned at that precise moment, he might have missed the kid on the bike. He only caught a brief glimpse of him, an overgrown teen riding one of those idiotic little bikes, legs pumping the pedals steadily as he rode up the slight incline of the road running parallel to this one, half a block beyond the car. The bill of a ball cap protruded out from under the hood of his sweatshirt, and he wore a backpack. Abernathy's first thought was to wonder what the boy's parents thought they were about, letting their son wander the streets at this time of night. At least his Thomas was safe at home in bed. Then the second thought crowded in after the first, causing his brow to furrow in consternation. Teenagers usually traveled in packs. What was this one doing down here at the Navy Yard by himself? And hadn't he been coming roughly from the direction of the fire? Maybe he was a survivor! Ned hoped he was one of the Devils. He hurried past his car to the other end of the block and called after the kid - or was it a man?- on the bicycle. He didn't look back, but he didn't speed up, either. The lieutenant frowned after him. If he was a fugitive from the scene of a drug deal gone horribly wrong, he certainly wasn't making his getaway with any degree of haste. Just then, a small bundle of something fell from his backpack and landed in the middle of the road behind him. The kid didn't stop, and the shadows swallowed him up.

Abernathy returned on foot to his car and started the engine. He turned the car around and drove to the end of the street, looking carefully for witnesses before he turned in the direction the cyclist had gone. When he came to the part of the road where he had seen the bundle drop, he stopped the car, and retrieved it. He knew what it was even before his trembling fingers had closed around it. It was a stack of crisp, new hundred dollar bills, bound at either end with a flat rubber band. At least five thousand dollars. Jesus God Almighty. He had to catch that kid!

Jumping back in his car, he tore off up the street in pursuit of the fugitive on the bicycle. He thought it wouldn't take him long to catch him because after all, there were only so many roads out of the Navy Yard. He was distracted by the irresistible necessity of having to stop for three more bundles of cash, but eventually he got all the way up to Flushing Avenue without having spotted his quarry again. There was intermittent traffic, nothing like what one would see in the daytime, but fairly steady nonetheless. He swung his eyes this way and that, looking for a black hoodie and a bicycle. Could it be that the fellow had turned off before the main road and was hiding somewhere? He was unwilling to believe that he had lost him. He didn't know how much money he would find in the backpack, but he sensed it would be upward of a hundred thousand dollars, possibly a lot more than that. It could only have come from the big gang merger that had been going on back at the Navy Yard.

However much it was, the lieutenant was in dire need of that money. It was getting harder and harder to hide his massive debt from Isadora, his wife of thirteen years. She had been asking him suspicious questions of late, and he didn't want to give her an excuse for leaving him.

A gangly pony-tailed teenager rattled by on a skateboard, and Abernathy started hopefully. No, that wasn't him. Shit! He could hear sirens, really close now. He hesitated with his turn signal on, unsure whether to turn onto Flushing, or put the car into reverse and head back down to the Navy Yard. A bus roared up, all lights and squealing brakes, stopping a short distance away to disgorge three passengers, a drunken couple who appeared to be unhappy with each other, and a little old man with very stiff knee joints. Abernathy's sharp eyes passed over them without interest, as there were no young fellows with backpacks hiding amongst them.

Lieutenant Abernathy had just made the decision to back his car up and try to pull a U-turn, when he spotted it at the bus stop - a kid's bike, lying on its side, the front wheel still turning slowly. Before he could react, the approaching sirens reached a crescendo of urgency, and two huge red and white fire trucks appeared almost simultaneously from opposite directions, and made to turn down the street he was on. He hesitated and one of them blasted its horn at him, twice. Cursing, he pulled over, practically on the sidewalk, and let them by. No sooner had they gone than three equally noisy police cruisers careened in and screamed after them.

When Lieutenant Abernathy was finally able to pull out onto Flushing and begin his pursuit of the bus, he had lost a good three minutes. That was okay. He could still catch it. It was the B57 and he knew its route. He just prayed that the man with the black hooded sweatshirt and the backpack full of money wouldn't have gotten off in the last three minutes.

Even with his siren blaring and and his magnetic beacon lights doing their job on the roof of his car, Lieutenant Abernathy had a hard time getting that fool of a bus driver to understand that he had to pull over. It was necessary for him to drive alongside the driver's window, yelling up to him and practically holding his badge out of the passenger side of the car before the idiot seemed willing to stop. Even then, the driver, with many anxious looks around him, drove for another block until he came to a bus stop, whereupon he _finally_ pulled in and allowed the bus to roll to a standstill.

Abernathy didn't trust him not to open the door and let passengers start filing off, so he swung his vehicle in front of the bus the second it had stopped, and screeched to a halt at a crazy angle. He bounded out of the car and around to the bus doors with his gun drawn, ready to shoot anyone who tried to make a run for it. The nervous driver opened the front doors for him, and he boarded, bellowing, "NYPD! Do NOT let anyone off this goddamn bus, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Yes sir, yes sir." Plainly terrified, the driver raised both hands as though he were under arrest, even though Abernathy had not actually pointed his gun at him.

"Good. Did anyone get off the bus in the last five minutes? Since you stopped at Third and let off the couple and the old man?" Receiving a frantic headshake from the rattled driver, he turned his attention to the scared occupants of the bus, scanning them rapidly for hoodies and backpacks. There were only about twelve or thirteen people on the bus, total, and he understood almost immediately that his man wasn't there. The realization hit him like a wallop to the solar plexus. The son of a bitch had played him! He still clung to a faint hope that the cyclist might yet be on the bus, perhaps hiding behind a seat. Lieutenant Abernathy moved down the aisle, his handgun at the ready, staring hard at the passengers and their belongings. There was only one unaccompanied male who looked young enough to have managed the long cycle ride from down at the Navy Yard, a sharp-looking African American guy in his mid twenties. But he was not wearing a hoodie and he had no bags of any description. He and the fellow looked at each other with mutual hostility.

"You got a problem with me, Officer?"

"What's your name, boy?"

The man recoiled, as Abernathy had known he would, at his use of the word 'boy'.

"The name's Alan Radley. Don't it say nothin' in your training, sir, about not calling a black man 'boy'?"

"Shut your mouth, Mr. Radley, and show me some ID."

At this point they ran into a problem because Mr. Radley was unable to produce any identification. Lieutenant Abernathy was getting angrier and angrier. Although he knew in his heart that this man was probably not the one who had escaped from the fire with all the cash from the drug deal, he had nothing else to go on, and he couldn't take the chance that he had stashed the money somewhere and then gotten on the bus.

"Were you at the Navy Yard earlier this evening?"

"Hell no! I got on this bus outside Brannigans' back at Saint Ann's. Ask the driver."

"Don't get smart with me, asshole. I saw you riding a bicycle on Third down at the Yard."

"That wasn't me! I ain't never been down to the Navy Yard in my life. I don't even live in Brooklyn. What the hell is this - pick on the black guy?" He looked around indignantly at the other passengers, none of whom happened to be people of color. They looked away uncomfortably.

Abernathy's rage exploded and his hand shot out and grabbed Alan Radley by the front of his shirt. Although not a big man, he was stronger than he looked, and never more so than when he was angry.

"You're under arrest, you piece of shit. Get out of that fucking seat."

"What the hell for? For riding a freakin' bus?" Mr. Radley suddenly didn't sound quite so brave.

"No, for arson and theft." Abernathy spun him around and handcuffed him. "And we'll see how far you want to carry the smartass attitude when all these people have gone on their way and it's just you and me, _boy_."

As he dragged the younger man off the bus, snarling his Miranda rights at him all the while, the driver found it in himself to get out of his seat and come forward.

"Officer," he called, somewhat hesitantly. "It's true what this boy said. He really did get on the bus at Saint Ann's. I remember him."

By that point, Abernathy was stuffing Mr. Radley, none too gently, into the back seat of his car. He transferred some of his displeasure toward the driver. "You do your job and I'll do mine, sir," he said curtly.

The driver tried one more time. "Officer," he said. "I didn't catch your name or your badge number."

"That's right, you didn't," Abernathy snapped, as he got into the car and slammed the door. "Next time pay attention."

And with that he roared off, with the hapless Mr. Radley emanating fear and alarm in the back seat.

&

"JJ!" It was Dee's voice on the phone. "What's the hell's going on? I heard you guys are in trouble and Ryo's not picking up!"

"Dee-Sempai! Yeah, it's total chaos down here, but we're okay. Maybe not Shaver, though. How did you know?"

"I called the dispatch office at the 88th. They told me twelve units plus the fire department had been sent to the Navy Yard. What happened to Shaver?"

"The warehouse is on fire, like seriously on fire, and he hasn't come out."

"Speak up, dude. I can barely hear you over the noise of all the radios and shouting."

"I said that the warehouse is burning like Rome after Nero got done with it, and Shaver's still in there," yelled JJ.

"Shit. Is the fire department going in to look for survivors?"

"Not anytime soon. They say the explosion makes this a Haz-Mat fire, so -"

"Explosion? What the fuck?"

"Yeah, a really big one, too. First, the Devils arrived like you guys said might happen, and then shortly after they went in shooting, there was this huge explosion and the whole place starting burning like you wouldn't believe. So far, no one's come out."

"Holy shit! But you guys are all okay, right? Why isn't Ryo answering his phone?"

"Oh, he's been busy. First, he and Sergeant Blake from the 88th were slugging it out -"

"WHAT?"

"Not literally, Mr. Perfect! Jeez, settle down. Sergeant Blake was trying to take command of the whole scene and actually told us all to stand down and go back to Manhattan, but this is _our_ case, so Ryo and he exchanged some choice words. It was really something! Dee-Sempai, did YOU know Ryo could swear like a sailor?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't do it very often so everyone forgets. Who's in charge of the scene now?"

"That's kinda hard to say. Right in the middle of Ryo's power struggle with Sergeant Blake, the Fire Department arrived with a Haz-Mat unit and started yelling at the patrol cops to move their cars so the trucks could get through. Then the fire captain, who is a total hunk by the way, although not quite in _your_ league, went up and told Ryo and Sergeant Blake that he was taking charge of the situation because he had a fire to put out. So the FDNY set up a command post and started hosing down the warehouse, but then the Bomb Squad arrived. They sent Sergeant Blake and most of the cruisers away, but some of them are still here because the Sergeant seems to be hoping some armed gang members might still come running out of the building, which I highly doubt. I think he just doesn't want to go back to his boring patrol route, since the Navy Yard is where all the action is tonight. Anyway, the Bomb Squad is now arguing with Captain Hunky. I heard them yelling about how CIMS protocol says the NYPD has jurisdiction over explosions, and the Captain's getting all technical with them, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that."

"Not right n-" Dee tried to get a word in edgewise, but the younger man kept right on talking.

"Ryo was trying to mediate, and he seemed to be making some progress until the FBI showed up, and you know what _they're_ like. Now everybody's pissed off again. So, to answer your question, no, I don't really know who's in charge. But I think everyone should just back off and let the fire department do their jobs. If there were any additional bombs in there, they probably would have gone off by now."

"Do we know what caused the explosion?"

"No, and that's one of the reasons why the firefighters won't go inside. Until they've got some idea what the hell is in that warehouse, they don't wanna risk their personnel. Plus, it's kinda burning too hot now. The sprinkler system was disabled when that first explosion happened. It apparently brought part of the roof down, and the rest of it is unstable. I asked one of the firefighters and he said no way is anyone still alive in there. It's really too bad about Detective Shaver. I feel awful now that I was mean to him. Do you think I was super-mean or maybe only a _little _bit mean back when we were in my apartment?" JJ sounded hopeful.

Dee ignored the question. "JJ, I wanna talk to Ryo. Can you ask him to call me, please?"

A loud sigh came from the other end of the line. "I'll ask, but I doubt he'll be able to call you for a while. He's pretty busy right now. Why don't you stay on the phone with me instead? I'll be happy to let you know what's - "

Dee interrupted him to say, "Thanks for the update, dude. Give him my message, okay?"

JJ talked for at least another minute before realizing that Dee had already hung up. He stared at his phone for a moment, fighting a wave of disappointment. Dee was always slipping away from him like that. However, a minute later, he had shaken it off and dialed Drake's number. He was fully aware it was pushing one o'clock in the morning, but he told himself that this was big news and his partner would want to be informed. Of course, it would also be a good way to find out if Drake was still with that cow from Records.

JJ and Annette detested each other. He wasn't sure exactly why she detested him, but he was in no doubt about her feelings for him, since she always looked at him as if he were some kind of loathsome crawling insect. He guessed it was probably because she disliked gay people. He detested her because both Drake and Dee seemed to be fascinated with her enormous udders, and always caught each other's eye when she walked by. And naturally, she had to be constantly flirting outrageously with both of them, the bitch! He wondered what Annette would think of Drake if she knew that just a few days ago, her handsome date had been alone and naked with another man? Drakey had been surprisingly eager, too. JJ put it down to his having been suddenly cut off from sexual contact when he had been used to getting it on a regular basis from Megan before she broke up with him. He scowled at the memory of Megan. What was it with Drake and bitches? He was like a bitch-magnet, that man. Every woman he ended up with was bossy, difficult and demanding. JJ couldn't recall a single one of Drake's many girlfriends over the past two years that he had actually liked.

"Gmph... Parker," Drake mumbled sleepily into the phone.

"Drake, I'm so sorry to wake you," said JJ excitedly, completely unaware that he didn't sound the slightest bit sorry. "I just thought you might wanna know that we've been up to our necks in gang fights, explosions and fire this evening, and it's sure to be front page news tomorrow."

"Huh? Wha -?"

"We're surrounded by emergency vehicles right now, and the warehouse where the deal took place is well on its way to burning to the ground. The fire crews are focusing most of their efforts on trying to prevent the fire from spreading to the other buildings. Lots of people died here tonight." JJ paused, and added, "But - Ooops! I just remembered that you're on a date. Maybe this isn't the best time for me to be bothering you with this stuff..."

"JJ, wait! Don't hang up! Tell me what the hell is going on."

"But what about Annette? Some of what I want to tell you is confidential, related to our undercover work. If she's right there beside you, then maybe this should wait until tomorrow."

"I'm not with Annette, dude. Our date, if you can call it that, has been over for hours. Talk to me."

JJ launched into the whole exhilarating tale, and enjoyed Drake's shocked reactions to all the twists and turns of it. He laughed off Drake's gratifying concern for his safety, and reassured him that all the other members of their team were okay, too. It was a much more satisfying phone call than the one he'd had with Dee. Not once did Drake express a desire to talk to Ryo, nor did he interrupt him or try to hurry him along. Mostly, however, JJ was happy that Drake's date seemed to have ended early and inconclusively.

"You want me to come down there?"

"No Drakey, that's sweet of you, but it's not necessary. I doubt you could get in anyway. There's a swat team here now and a K-9 unit, and I even heard that there were a couple of guys from Homeland Security here. I swear there's no more room for even one additional car. The 88th and the FBI have set up multiple checkpoints on every road leading down to the Navy Yard. They're not even letting the press in, which is another thing the FDNY are pissed off about, like they _need_ any more positive publicity. Anyway, I doubt even your badge would be enough to get you through right now."

"The hell it wouldn't. Are you sure you don't need me?"

"No, not right now, but I might need you to cover for me tomorrow if Ryo doesn't let us go home soon... Hey Drake, I gotta go. There are a couple of stretchers coming this way, and I wanna find out what happened. Get some sleep, okay? Sorry again for waking you."

"It's fine," Drake replied softly. "I'm glad you called and that you're okay..." His voice trailed off as he realized he was talking to dead air.

&

"Get on your feet, boy!" Abernathy punctuated that order with a forceful kick. The young man groaned and struggled to get up. His legs shook under him, and Abernathy briefly regretted using the stun gun on him so many times. He needed to get his handcuffs back, and he preferred not to have to kneel down on the grit and trash-covered surface of the alley they were in. The kid lost his balance and fell against the dumpster that was partially shielding them from the sight of any passers-by, and Abernathy grabbed him under his damp armpit and hauled him around. "Stay up, damn you," he muttered as he unlocked the cuffs. The minute he had them free, he stepped back with them and Alan Radley again slumped to the ground. Abernathy gave him a parting glance just to establish that he was still breathing and then turned and strolled back to his car. Well, that had been a washout, it surely had. He had ascertained to his satisfaction that Mr. Radley had not in fact been anywhere near the Navy Yard that night, and did not have any knowledge of the whereabouts of a backpack full of money. As always, he felt a vague sense of remorse for losing his temper and inflicting physical damage upon a man who, although mouthy and disrespectful, had nonetheless turned out to be innocent. Innocent? The thought of that word brought a mirthless smile to his face. _We're none of us innocent_, he thought. _This is a world of sinners, and this city breeds some of the worst on God's good earth._ Sins always had to be paid for, one way or another. It pleased him to think that the Almighty had perhaps used him as an instrument to punish the unknown sins of Mr. Radley.

Lieutenant Abernathy got into his car and started the engine. At least he felt calm now, and able to accept the fact that he had come _this_ close to getting his hands on a means to solve or at least seriously mitigate his cash-flow problems. Unfortunately, it had slipped away from him, despite his best efforts. It was also looking as though his plans to raise larger sums of money through the Dyre Street Devils and their activities would have to be put on hold until the Devils were able to come back from whatever damage had been inflicted upon their numbers tonight at the Navy Yard. At least he wasn't coming away totally empty-handed. He still had the money that the cyclist had dropped, a tidy sum by anyone's standards. At least twenty thousand dollars. It would take the heat off with the debt payments over the next two or three months. Perhaps it was time for a little holiday. Isadora had been thinking about traveling recently, he knew. He had seen her checking ads for flights in the newspaper. He hoped she would be excited about the idea. It was so long, years really, since he had seen her excited about anything.

The sudden ringing of his work cell phone interrupted his thoughts of his wife. He checked the call display and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. "Lieutenant Abernathy," he said.

"Hello Lieutenant. This is Detective Randy MacLean. How are you doing this evening?"

"Never mind that, Detective. What's this about?" Abernathy's voice was hard. He didn't like the man and he wasn't going to bother to pretend. Plus, he sounded pleased about something and that set off alarm bells in Abernathy's mind.

"Well, I'm here at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a certain Detective Collins, whom we found unconscious from a blow to the head. He appears to have been assaulted and robbed, and he's asking for you. We were just wondering, sir, if you were still in the area and if you had any intention of coming back for him."

Abernathy didn't answer for several long moments as he considered this new information. What the hell were 27th guys doing in Brooklyn, tonight of all nights, at the bloody Navy Yard? The Navy Yard was the 88th's jurisdiction. Unless that sonofabitch Ned Shaver had been working three sides of the fence...If so, there could be trouble. Well, there was nothing for it. He'd have to go back to the Navy Yard and brazen things out. He needed particulars. Chief among his concerns was whether Ned Shaver was alive or dead. He fervently hoped it was the latter. But if he had made a formal statement before dying, there would be warrants...

"Well, naturally, I'm coming back for him. _Naturally_. In fact, I'm on my way," he blustered. "I look forward to seeing you all in a few minutes. It appears there may have been a few developments in my little absence."

"With all due respect, sir, I wouldn't call a forty-minute abandonment of a colleague at a major crime scene 'little'," remarked Detective MacLean. "Even if your God understands why you did it, I certainly don't. But no doubt you have a really good reason for it, which all the site commanders will want to hear."

Abernathy drew breath to blast the insolence of the man, but let it out again when he realized that the blaspheming sodomite had hung up on him. The effrontery! That such a man, if he could even be termed a proper man, should have the temerity to lecture him! Lieutenant Abernathy felt his hard-won calm sliding away from him again. Fumbling in his pocket for his antacid tablets, he forced himself to breathe deeply through his nose. He would presently be walking into a den of lions and he needed to keep his wits about him. He had only a few minutes to decide how much of the truth to tell them, and what would be the best way to pose it. Whatever happened, he wasn't giving up the money. It was safely hidden under his spare tire in the trunk, and there it would stay until he could transfer it to a better place. _Think, man, think. You can't let yourself be taken down by a filthy pederast not fit to even polish the shoes of decent Godfearing people._ That such a man had ever been granted custody of a child was beyond comprehension. But first he would go and face the site commander at the Navy Yard. Tomorrow he would talk to Liam about taking some time off. After that, it would be time to deal with Detective MacLean.

"You don't know it, but your days are numbered, me boyo," he muttered to himself.

end of chapter 36

Additional author's notes: CIMS (Citywide Incident Management System) protocol says that at CBRN/Haz-Mat Incidents, the NYPD will be the Primary Agency, with responsibility for overall site management, assessment and investigations (crime-scene/terrorism). CBRN stands for chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. However, the FDNY (Fire Department of New York) will be responsible for life safety operations and decontamination on a mass scale. Sometimes it's difficult to establish which agency should take charge at a particular incident. The FDNY, in recent years, has been increasing their preparedness to deal with incidents related to terrorism. Explosions usually make people think of terrorism, but I assure you that there are no terrorists in this story!

For those who don't remember, the 'Liam' that Abernathy refers to is Liam Hennessy, the Chief of Internal Affairs, and Abernathy's good friend. Commissioner Rose first brought up his name in chapter 20, and Abernathy thought about him at the end of Chapter 24.

Thanks for reading! I'm afraid it will be another three or four weeks until I'm able to post again.


	37. Chapter 37

START

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 37_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. There's always swearing, however.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Detective Shaver is mine however, along with Captain McCormick, the commander of the Bronx 51st Precinct, and Helen, the private secretary of Commissioner Rose. I have not based these characters on any living person.

Author's notes: Two rather illicit meetings and a whole world of trouble! Please read and review. Incidentally, I just want to remind everyone that although some of you have been reading this story for almost two years, it's only been about three weeks since Ryo told Dee he loved him on the Brooklyn Bridge. In earlier chapters of this story, Ryo has been doing a fair amount of soul searching and has been feeling quite off-balance (see chapter ten, specifically) because he's having a bit of an identity crisis over his 'sudden' discovery that he wasn't the straight guy he always imagined himself to be.

Thank you to Mtemplar , Moontatoo and LadyFeather

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 37_

Dee was about 90 percent awake when Ryo came home, a little after 2:00 a.m. He lay in Ryo's bed, listening to the general rustlings, and the opening and closing of cabinets. He heard Ryo thirstily drinking something he had gotten out of the fridge, and he also heard the rattle of a pill bottle. Aw. His baby must have a headache. Well, no wonder. That had been a hell of a long day for him, even longer than a back-to-back double shift.

Dee had left the bedroom door ajar, but Ryo didn't come in right away. Dee caught a glimpse of him padding by on his way to the brat's room and heard him have a brief exchange of words with a sleepy-voiced Bikky. That was a little surprising, as he hadn't thought Bikky was still awake. Unbeknownst to each other, they had obviously both been waiting for Ryo to come home.

Dee continued to listen, impatient for the moment when Ryo would finally come into the bedroom and discover him there. He ached just to touch his partner. He hated it when Ryo worked without him; he could never be sure his beloved would come back alive and in one piece. Anything could happen out there, as their encounter with the skinheads had proved last Friday night.

He waited through the sounds in the bathroom: Ryo took a piss, brushed his teeth, splashed water around, but didn't take a shower. Finally, the footsteps he had been waiting for approached the bedroom.

For some reason, Dee hadn't been expecting Ryo to flip on the light, but he did, and the bright glare caused him to wince and burrow under the covers.

"Wha - ? Dee!"

Dee barely realized that Ryo had snapped the light back off again because he was suffused with happiness at the note of delight in Ryo's voice. Ryo was surprised, but happy to see him. That was good because he had taken it upon himself to stay over without asking permission. A moment later, his lover was kneeling on the bed beside him, unwrapping him from his nest of blankets, and squeezing him enthusiastically.

"Dee!" Ryo whispered. "What are you doing here? I thought for sure you'd be at home, fast asleep by now!"

Dee hugged Ryo back, and spoke softly so as not to attract Bikky's attention and potentially bring the brat wandering into the bedroom. "How can you think that I could sleep, knowing you were at a drug deal with a 70 shoot-out factor? If anyone had figured out what those vans were really for, you'd all have been sitting ducks!" He loosened his hold just enough to be able to look accusingly at Ryo in the half-light coming through the open door from the hallway. "And I wouldn't have been there to help you because _you_ wouldn't let me come along!"

"I'm sorry you were worried." Ryo meant it. It was the nature of their partnership that they went into dangerous situations together and backed each other up. He would have felt the same in Dee's place, but it had been necessary for Dee to make sure Shaver actually showed up for the meeting.

Dee subsided, slightly mollified, and sniffed him. "You smell like smoke. JJ said it was a really bad fire."

"It was. Maybe I should take a shower..."

"No, no, stay here with me. Take a shower when you get up tomorrow. I mean 'today'. At least we can sleep in a bit because of the funeral, huh?"

"Not me, not really. I'm going in about half an hour later than usual, but that's all I can get away with. I have to do a debriefing at 0800 hours." Ryo thought it best not to mention that it was a personal debriefing for Commissioner Rose alone.

"Shit, I guess you do. "That sucks! You were supposed to be off today, too."

"Shhh! Yeah, it does suck, but it's not every day you get a five-alarm fire in New York complete with explosions. Are you due to work?"

"Yeah, my doctor's note was only good until Wednesday. But I'm not rolling in there until after the funeral." Dee let go of Ryo and said, "Hey, you should get changed for bed, unless you're planning to sleep in your clothes."

Ryo nodded assent and got up to fetch a pair of pajamas.

Dee spoke again from the bed. "Hey, I heard Shaver got barbequed."

"Yeah," said Ryo. "Unfortunately, he didn't make it, along with most of the people inside. But no other cops or firefighters got hurt, so he was our only casualty."

"That's too bad. The guy had a wife and child."

"I know. It's really sad. He made some bad choices, but no one can say he didn't have guts." Ryo draped his work pants over the chair in the corner and tossed his shirt into the laundry hamper before climbing back into bed with Dee.

It hung unspoken in the air between them that with Shaver gone, their chances of nailing Lieutenant Abernathy had dwindled to almost nothing. Ryo stroked Dee's hair gently, and changed the subject. "I'm so glad you stayed here. I missed you tonight."

"Really?" Dee cuddled against Ryo, sounding pleased. "How much?"

"This much." To Dee's surprise and pleasure, Ryo kissed him tenderly with just a hint of tongue. He tasted like toothpaste and grapefruit juice. "Let's go to sleep," Ryo whispered. "I've got a lot to tell you, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm so dead right now."

"Sleep, baby. I love you."

"Love you...too..." Ryo murmured, his voice dropping away as sleep surged up, captured him and bore him far from the waking world.

&.&.&.&.&

Ryo arrived at the 27th Precinct a few minutes before 7:30, and learned to his relief that the Chief wasn't going to be in until after lunch that day. That meant he had just one meeting to worry about before going back home to get Bikky jammed into his suit for the funeral. Bikky hated suits and always kicked up a fuss on the rare occasions when he had to wear one.

Drake greeted him cheerfully outside his office and asked him about the previous night. "You must be beat!" he said. "What time did you get home, anyway?"

"Don't ask," said Ryo with a tired smile, setting down his briefcase on his chair.

"I heard you lost your second witness in the fire. Too bad, man."

"Yeah," said Ryo, "but that's how it goes sometimes. However, we'll still get the bastard we're after. It'll just take us longer, that's all."

He picked up the bone china mug that JJ had selected for him and looked at it with an expression of vague discomfort, debating with himself whether or not to take it to the Commissioner's office with him. He still felt that, beautiful though it was, it was more a mug for a woman than a man. Unless, of course, one wanted to announce to world that one happened to be a gay man. On the other hand, however, the Commissioner already seemed to know about his relationship with Dee, although he seemed to believe it was mainly a sexual arrangement. What finally decided Ryo was his knowledge that the Commissioner was an aficionado of fine china and crystal, indeed, all fine things. Ryo had once drawn unwelcome attention to himself by recognizing a vintage Heubach hand-painted vase on the windowsill of the Commissioner's office. This mug was not in the same league, naturally, but it was extraordinarily beautiful and the Commissioner would be bound to notice it. Perhaps it would give them something neutral to talk about, if that should become necessary.

Drake hung around for another few moments, hoping Ryo would ask him about his date the night before. He had mulled it over, and now he was dying to bitch about it to someone, even though he knew in his heart that Ryo was probably not that someone. Ryo most likely didn't even remember that his good buddy Drake had actually been out on a date, because Ryo didn't really care about things like that. Yet, Drake reflected, when his mom had been hospitalized for pneumonia a year or so back, Ryo had been one of the few who asked after her at regular intervals. He let out a sigh, wondering if Ted or Dee would be showing their faces today, and the sound, soft though it was, made Ryo look up.

"Drake, I have to get going. I have a breakfast meeting at eight. But I'll see you briefly after, if you're still here. Are you going out in the next little while?"

"Nope. My first appointment isn't until 11:30. Say, if there's any leftovers from your meeting, make sure you bring 'em back here, okay?"

Ryo agreed with a smile and hurried out of the building to fetch breakfast for himself and the Commissioner. He was relieved Dee hadn't come with him today. He had been a little worried when Dee unexpectedly got up at the same time he did, but his partner had told him that he wanted to get to the dry cleaners to pick up his black suit. When Ryo left his apartment, Dee had been drinking coffee at the kitchen table, looking none too awake. Ryo kissed him goodbye without mentioning anything more about his upcoming debriefing. It would have been hard to explain to Dee that he had been explicitly asked by the Commissioner not to bring his partner, and Dee would naturally have ignored that directive anyway and insisted on coming along.

Ryo cut through the little park near the Precinct to get to Amici's Coffee bar, and stood in line feeling vaguely guilty for not telling Dee what he was up to. Oh well, it would soon be over, and Dee would be none the wiser. He definitely wasn't looking forward to telling the Commissioner about the fate of his Dragon vest. He felt more than a little uneasy when he let himself imagine how the Commissioner might react. He thought he'd better pick up an extra good breakfast.

Heading back through the park, laden down with one paper bag that contained hot gourmet breakfast sandwiches, another with fruit salad and pastries, plus a thermos of high grade Columbian extra dark coffee, Ryo's dread-filled thoughts about his coming meeting were interrupted by a voice that sounded exactly like Dee's. His ears pricked up, naturally. It couldn't be Dee, of course, but he was curious, nonetheless. What did this guy look like, whose voice was so similar to the one that Ryo knew and loved? But the next words the voice uttered stopped him dead.

"Okay, but remember, not a word of this to Ryo, you got that?"

"Sure, Mr. Sexy," came the breathless reply. "Now, c'mere..."

Ryo forced his suddenly leaden feet to move forward again. Not a word of _what_ to Ryo? That voice was none other than Dee's; he was sure of it. And the second voice belonged to JJ, unless he was very much mistaken. What the hell was going on? He turned a corner on the path and what he saw caused him to drop both bags of food. The thermos would have fallen too, if he hadn't fumbled for it and slowed its descent before it too slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

A flower-seller with several buckets of flowers around her sat on a park bench looking hopefully at the two handsome men nearby. One of them was Dee all right, wearing the same jeans from yesterday and one of Ryo's tee-shirts. The other was JJ and the two of them stood next to another park bench that was scattered with the remnants of A&W 'bacon and egger' wrappers. Ryo's shocked eyes took those two sights in as a matter of course. But what riveted him to the spot, draining away all the strength from his muscles, was the sight of JJ squirming happily in Dee's arms. Ryo's heart began thumping in his chest, while black clouds of dizziness began rolling in from his peripheral vision. Fortunately, they halted before they could meet in the middle and take his sight away altogether. Dee's mouth was moving and so was JJ's, but Ryo couldn't hear what was being said because of the sudden roaring in his ears. Then JJ stood on tiptoes to kiss Dee's cheek before he ran off laughing in the direction of the precinct. Dee stood there looking after him broodingly for a minute before something made him glance over in Ryo's direction. He started visibly and actually went pale.

"Ryo - sweetheart - it's not what you think..."

Ryo didn't know what kind of expression he had on his face, as he stood there with the foundations of his new life heaving sickeningly under him, but it must have been bad because he had never seen Dee looking so afraid before. The only thing he retained any kind of grip on was the beautiful blue and pink china mug that JJ had given him.

He couldn't think clearly; all he knew was that Dee was taking halting steps toward him and he had to stop him. He couldn't bear for Dee to come any closer. Something terrible was going to happen if he did, but what it was, he couldn't even guess. Somehow, he found his voice.

"Stop right there, you lying, cheating sonofabitch!"

"Baby, let me explain -"

"Get away from me!"

Dee's eyes widened and he ducked quickly as the mug Ryo had been holding came hurtling at his head. It actually stirred his hair as it passed over him and then smashed to a hundred pieces on the concrete path behind him. Fuck! That was close. He'd forgotten what good aim Ryo had, whether sharpshooting, or throwing things. He hadn't been the star pitcher on the 27th's softball team last summer for nothing.

Without breaking eye contact, Ryo bent and picked up the thermos, causing Dee to step back swiftly, raising his arms protectively to his face.

"Dee," Ryo's voice was low and vibrated with barely suppressed rage. "Just...don't come _near_ me." He snatched up the two paper bags along with the thermos, and hurried away, taking a slightly more circuitous route back to the station than JJ had.

Dee took an impulsive couple of steps after him, but was halted by the voice of the flower-seller saying, "Stop!"

"Huh?" Dee turned around, seeming to notice her for the first time.

"Oh, go after him, by all means," she said, bright grey eyes in a weatherbeaten face blinking earnestly at him from under the rim of her summer hat. "But give the poor fellow a head start. He needs time to cool down or he's likely to knock you into a rosebush."

Dee nodded, seeing the wisdom of this, but clutched his head in anxiety as he looked in the direction Ryo had gone.

"Which one do you want? The first one or the second one?"

"The second one! ONLY the second one," he said emphatically, turning back to her angrily.

She was holding up two bouquets of flowers and looking at him with amusement.

Dee colored. Of course she must have been talking about the flowers, not JJ and Ryo. "Um..." He looked down at her in confusion.

"You're going to be needing some flowers," she said helpfully.

"Yeah," he said, knowing she was right, although he felt it was highly likely that Ryo would throw them in his face. "Gimme that yellow and white bunch there, and throw in some red roses and a ribbon, too. He pulled out a couple of bills out of his wallet and sighed loudly.

"Don't worry," she said to him reassuringly. "Your day can only get better from here, right?"

"Not likely," grumbled Dee. "I'm going to a funeral at eleven."

"Oh," she said. "In that case, you'd better get some lilies too."

&.&.&.&.&

Ryo strode toward the station, his heavy footsteps matching the heaviness in his heart. He imagined it was Dee he was treading underneath his feet, rather than the dusty, litter-strewn pavement. Angry and incredulous thoughts that were centered on the perfidy of his partner whirled about in his brain.

How could he? After all those times when he had professed undying love and faithfulness! Of course that asshole hadn't really been celibate while waiting for him. What a crock! Ryo ground his teeth and tugged at his collar. He had been a fool to believe Dee. It was just that he had wanted so much to believe him. It had made him feel special, cherished even. He felt a familiar sense of pressure building in his throat. Goddammit, if he didn't keep nursing his anger, he felt there was a danger he might cry. Maybe he should try to think about something else, like perhaps the best way to give the Commissioner the bad news about the previous night's work. But it was impossible. His mind immediately returned to the image of Dee and JJ embracing in the park. They had obviously been lovers all along. Maybe it was casual, but of course it made sense.

_But Dee does love me_..._ At least I _think_ he does._ Ryo felt almost certain of that, but wondered if it was as much as he had believed. He guessed that perhaps monogamy had turned out to be more of a challenge to his lover than he had expected. _At least I was happy for a few weeks. Bastard! How could he do this to me?_

He reached the parking area of the 27th all too soon, and braced himself to be greeted by various co-workers who were smoking out front, or heading out on calls. Officers Pettigrew and Fenton called to him boisterously on the front step, thanking him loudly for bringing them breakfast. He dodged them effortlessly, promising, "Next time," and was amazed at how normal his voice sounded. A similar thing occurred as he went past the front desk, with Marianne and Janet begging for one of his food bags. Each step he took through the halls that led to the Commissioner's office was a torment, as he had to smile, nod and otherwise acknowledge the various people who said hello to him, when all he wanted to do was crawl alone into some dark hole and try to come to terms with the fact that the man he loved was a faithless, cheating, deceiving, self-centered son of a bitch.

Presently he arrived at the reception area of Commissioner Rose's office, which was presided over by Helen, his quiet and efficient secretary. She eyed Ryo's offerings and saw that he wasn't carrying any cups. Without a word, she got up and went to a nearby rosewood cabinet and took out two matching fluted white mugs with slender handles. Then she buzzed the Commissioner and informed him that Detective MacLean was there to see him.

When she opened the door for Ryo, her shrewd eyes met his in passing. He felt she had seen all the turmoil that he was trying so hard to keep locked inside his heart, that she somehow knew how he was feeling. He turned away from her quickly and his eyes sought out the Commissioner. He forced himself to smile.

"Good morning, sir. I've brought us breakfast, as you requested."

"Good morning, Ryo. I see that. Set it on the coffee table over there, please. I wouldn't like to drop any food on my papers." He indicated a brown leather sofa against one wall of his office, underneath an Ansel Adams print.

Ryo quickly set down his bags and thermos and started to unpack the food. He tried to speak lightly. "I got croissants stuffed with scrambled eggs, Havarti cheese and peppered rosemary ham, sir. We also have a fresh fruit salad with strawberries, melon balls and pineapple. I didn't know what kind of pastries you like, so I brought four kinds."

"It looks wonderful, Ryo. It's clear that I won't be needing lunch after a breakfast like this! Now would you like to discuss the events of last evening over breakfast, or would you prefer to eat first and then give me your report?" He absently thanked Helen who had just come in bearing a tray with the two white mugs and some cream, sugar and napkins.

Ryo hesitated. As for himself, he didn't think he could eat anything, and he would prefer to get the bad news over with as soon as possible. But on the other hand, he had learned a long time ago that you don't give bad news to a man with an empty stomach. Low blood sugar could make people fly off the handle quicker than they otherwise would.

"Um...I think I'd rather we ate breakfast first, sir," he said. "I think the sandwiches are still warm. They probably taste better when they're warm."

"By all means, let's eat then. Won't you sit down?"

"Thank you sir." Ryo quickly sat down on the sofa, his eyes sliding away from the Commissioner's sharp gaze. He passed one of the wrapped croissants to the other man and reached for the thermos with a hand that shook slightly.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee hurried in through the front door of the 27th Precinct not long after Ryo had.

"Hurry up, Laytner!" called Officer Fenton. "You're late for breakfast!"

"I bet Parker's eaten your share by now," added Officer Pettigrew. They both guffawed at their wit. Ordinarily, Dee would have shot them an off-color zinger that would have doubled their mirth, but today he was not in the mood. He made a beeline for the Chief's office, totally ignoring Janet's attempt to jokingly thank him for the big bouquet of flowers he was carrying.

Janet and Marianne looked at each other thoughtfully after he was gone.

"Hmmm. First Randy, looking like he wanted to kill somebody..." said Marianne, flipping her long blond-streaked brown hair off her shoulder.

"Then Dee, looking like he needed to apologize to somebody. With flowers and everything," said Janet, whose mind was working rapidly.

"But Randy was carrying a lot of food, wasn't he? Maybe he picked up breakfast for the other guys on his team."

"Nah. Drake and Ted are the only ones up there, and if you'll recall, Ted came in only five minutes ago eating a breakfast burrito. I think that food is for somebody else."

Marianne started as she remembered something. "Oh! I remember Helen told me that the Commissioner had an eight AM breakfast meeting today...and it's eight ten now!"

Janet immediately called out to their co-worker who was typing away at a computer terminal behind them. "Jerry! Me and Marianne are going upstairs for a moment - be right back! Cover the desk, would you?"

They were gone before he could protest.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee rapped briefly on the Chief's office door before turning the doorknob. It was locked. "Chief!" he called, banging harder on the door. "Let me in!"

Leona, the Chief's secretary, hurried over to him with a frown, saying, "Detective Laytner, please stop shouting. Lieutenant Smith isn't in there."

"He's not? Where did he go? The boardroom?"

"No, he hasn't even come in yet. He told me yesterday that he'd be in at one o'clock today. He had to take one of his children to..." Her voice trailed off as she saw Detective Laytner react as though a thunderbolt had hit him. "Detective? Are you okay?"

Detective Laytner took off without a word, which was really quite rude of him, Leona thought, shaking her head. It seemed like with each passing year she had been in this job, the number of people who cared about good manners seemed to be sadly decreasing. As she returned to her desk, she saw Marianne and Janet scurry by, giggling as though they were up to no good. Why those two felt they could just leave the front desk practically unattended any time they liked was beyond her. They had probably left that pea-brained Jerry in charge again. Why, the man couldn't even answer simple questions. However, Leona mused to herself, that awful Janet did have an unerring nose for drama and other interesting happenings... There was probably something going on upstairs. Leona quickly rose to her feet and snatched up a file. She had been meaning to ask Helen if she wanted a photocopy of this. Perhaps now would be a good time.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&

The Commissioner took a bite of his croissant and pronounced it absolutely delicious. "Amici's, am I correct?"

Ryo just nodded because it seemed that he needed all his concentration just to pour coffee into the two mugs without spilling any.

"You're not eating, Ryo. Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Are you sure? Because I can't help noticing that you're trembling a little. Your face also seems to be flushed."

"Um, I might be coming down with a fever, sir," Ryo lied. "It's nothing. It'll probably be gone by lunchtime."

"You had quite a long night last night, didn't you? _Eventful_, too." The Commissioner watched his detective to see how he would respond to this sally. As he had anticipated, the beautiful man next to him flinched almost imperceptibly and shot him a nervous look. The Commissioner didn't believe the fever story for one second.

"Ryo, I must insist that you have a bite of something. I can't sit here and feel comfortable eating by myself, you know. Go on."

"Of course, sir. I'm sorry." Ryo picked up his croissant and unwrapped it with unsteady hands. How many times had he eaten one of these with Dee? Too many to count. The smell of the ham and cooked egg rose to his nostrils and he felt his stomach turn over. He hastily put the sandwich down again, and when he glanced at the Commissioner, he saw to his dismay that the man was still watching him.

"Now I know something's wrong. Can I ask you what it is?"

"Sir, really, nothing's wrong." Ryo picked up one of the pastries and took a quick bite. As long as his mouth was full, the Commissioner wouldn't expect him to talk. The pastry, though moist and flaky, felt dry and heavy on his tongue.

"Could it be Ryo, that you came here to tell me that Detective Shaver perished in the fire and my Dragon Systems vest along with him?"

Ryo immediately choked on his bite of pastry, and the alarmed Commissioner had to thump him on the back and offer him a napkin to spit the pieces out in. Ryo coughed and gasped for breath, tears running down his overheated face, and Rose felt his heart go out to the younger man. Poor boy, he must have been dreading coming in here to tell him about the night's failures, particularly the loss of the vest, which he had been so bold in asking for! The Commissioner forgot how he had originally been intending to exploit his upright detective's sense of failure and try to get him to agree to certain concessions in exchange for being forgiven. He hadn't expected Ryo to be quite so unnerved over the whole thing. All he wanted to do now was comfort him, to hold that trembling body close and stroke the tension out of his muscles. He scooted closer to Ryo and suggested he drink some of his coffee. Ryo took a tentative sip, but unfortunately began coughing again, necessitating more back-thumping from the Commissioner. His thumps on Ryo's back gradually got lighter, until they began to resemble soothing caresses instead.

"There, there," he said softly. "Just breathe. I'm sorry I asked you to eat when you were obviously in an overwrought state of dread."

Ryo turned to him, saying, "Sir, I..." in a hoarse voice. He tugged at where the knot of his tie pressed against his throat.

"Shh." Rose placed his fingertips over Ryo's lips. "Don't try to talk. Just keep breathing. Let me get that for you..." The fingers of that same hand slid lightly from Ryo's lips down to his collar where he began to gently tug his tie loose.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Helen looked up from her computer screen just as Detective Laytner appeared in the doorway, the beautiful bouquet of flowers he was holding contrasting incongruously with the mutinous expression on his face. She sprang up with an alacrity that few would have given her credit for and blocked the door to the Commissioner's office with her body, looking warningly up at Dee, who towered over her by a good foot.

He looked down at her plain, but determined little face, not bothering to adjust his angry glower. "Let me pass," he growled.

She shook her head firmly, and then recoiled a little when he took a step closer to her. She didn't budge, however, and his eyes softened.

He gave her his best Dee Laytner grin, and plucked a red rose from the bouquet he was holding. "Helen," he said, "You're brave and loyal, and altogether too good for that bastard." Snapping off most of the stem, he tucked the rose behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek. "I just hope he pays you what you're worth. Now please, move away from the door and let me go in. Ryo's not okay today, and he needs me in there."

Helen looked at him for a moment with eyes that still assessed and measured, despite the faint blush on her cheeks. "Promise you won't hit him," she said in her low, slightly gravelly voice.

It was easy to guess whom she meant. "I promise," said Dee firmly. "No hitting." At least kicking, as in _ass_-kicking, if called for, was still on the menu.

Helen stepped aside, and then instantly regretted it as three women she knew very well all wandered into her reception area, wearing innocent expressions.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

"Sir," Ryo coughed, "I can get that, really..."

The Commissioner shushed him again and undid the top button of Ryo's collar. "There's nothing to worry about, my dear Ryo," he said soothingly. "You don't have to fret about giving me the bad news, because I already know. The warehouse fire was on the news this morning, and I have since talked to Captain McCormick of the 51st. He confirmed for me that Detective Shaver did not make it out of the blaze in time. I assume my Dragon vest did not come walking out by itself, either. It's terrible news, yes, but we take these things in stride at the NYPD, don't we?"

"Sir, I..." Ryo tried to retreat, but the Commissioner's left arm seemed to still be around him, stroking his back, and instead, he found himself being pulled even closer. If only he could stop coughing! And to make things worse, he realized that Rose had opened a second button on his shirt and was gazing at him affectionately! God, he had to get out of here.

"Were you afraid of my anger, my beautiful Ryo? Is that why you were so agitated? Please never think that I would raise my voice or my hand to you."

Ryo's eyes widened as he realized that Commissioner's face was leaning closer toward his own. Could this actually be happening? Could this day get any more awful?

Just then, the door burst open and Dee erupted into the room, saying, "Ryo! I'm so - What the fuck?" He stared at the tableau on the sofa with disbelieving eyes. Was that fucking Rose actually _undressing_ his Ryo, who, moreover, had tears running down his face? Red rage blazed within him, and he sprang across the room toward them.

The Commissioner rose quickly to a standing position, braced for the onslaught with his fists up, but he wasn't prepared for what the man actually did. Laytner leapt onto the coffee table, one foot planted, while he drove the knee of his other leg directly at Rose's face. It would have connected too, if Ryo hadn't shoved the Commissioner aside at the last moment. Rose staggered and fell heavily across the opposite end of the sofa, rebounding onto the floor. Dee's momentum carried him forward onto the sofa, whereupon he promptly lost his balance and also fell, bringing the Ansell Adams print down on top of himself. Behind him, the coffee table overturned with a crash, scattering fruit, pastries, coffee and bits of sandwich everywhere.

Ryo snatched the print off Dee, lest he use it as a weapon to batter Rose with, and grabbed Dee just as he righted himself and lunged toward the Commissioner. "Dee, stop it!" he exclaimed hoarsely, clearing his throat, but Dee only struggled harder, snarling, "Fucking asshole! He's gonna need a plastic surgeon after I get done with him! Fucking evil predatory rat bastard son of a bitch," and more in that vein. It wasn't until Ryo knelt behind him on the sofa, pressing his body up against Dee's, whispering, "Please stop, Dee. For me. Please..." that Dee felt his rage subside. He could never say no when Ryo said please.

At that moment, a wild cry of "Berkley!" was heard outside the door, followed by a thump that rattled the door, then a whacking sound and a wail. The Commissioner, glasses askew, raised himself up into a sitting position and gazed balefully at the pair on the sofa. Laytner knelt with one knee on the sofa and his other leg on the floor, breathing heavily through flared nostrils, his head tilted back to the side and resting on Ryo's forehead. Ryo's arms appeared to be tightly around him from behind, restraining and soothing him. Rose shook his head in disgust. What an animal the man was. What an emotional idiot. The sooner he was gotten rid of the better.

Ryo was thinking hard from his position behind Dee. Both his choking fit and all the misery from his unexpected discovery of Dee's betrayal had been temporarily superseded by his need to prevent a career-ending brawl between his partner and the Commissioner. He had done what he could, but the fact remained that they were all guilty of gross misconduct, and there appeared to be people outside the door who would soon learn what had happened between the three of them inside the closed environs of the Commissioner's office. He needed to talk to the Commissioner, and fast.

"Can I let go now?" Ryo's voice was muffled against Dee's shoulder blade.

"Yeah. I won't do anything." With regret, Dee felt Ryo's arms unwind from around him, and the familiar warmth move away from his back.

"Sir," said Ryo to Commissioner Rose, "we have a pretty big problem right now."

"We certainly do, Detective. But your partner most of all."

"Fuck you," growled Dee, clenching his fists.

Ryo quickly inserted himself between the two men. "Dee, be quiet please," he said over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the Commissioner, who had as yet made no effort to rise from the floor. "Sir, I think I have a way to get us all out of this. Without a scandal, I mean. Will you hear me out?"

"By all means. My office is a shambles, my dignity is in tatters, and it sounds like Helen is fighting tooth and nail to keep a pack of female wolves from tearing down the door and gathering gossip fodder that will spread across the five boroughs faster than the fire took down your warehouse last night. I can't see how you could possibly get us out of this, but please, consider me a most rapt listener at this point."

"Okay, here's our story, which is pretty close to the truth. All three of us had a scheduled breakfast meeting, but _somebody_ naturally arrived late. You and I went ahead without him and while we were eating breakfast, I started choking on a piece of food. You performed a first aid technique, but the piece of food remained stuck. I began to lose consciousness. You jumped up and called 911. They dispatched an emergency team. You returned to me and resumed your efforts to help me. Just then, Detective Laytner arrived and assisted you. The situation was quite dire, and some furniture got overturned. Fortunately, however, in an outstanding act of heroic teamwork, the two of you managed to save my life."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Ryo shrugged. "The alternative is that we were all involved in a homosexual love triangle. Now I don't know about you, but I'd just as soon that not get around to every precinct in the five boroughs. Can you think of anything better?"

"You're forgetting that I did not in fact call 911."

"Do it now, sir," urged Ryo quietly. "It's not too late. No one here will check the call records. If it's the Commissioner of the NYPD calling, the ambulance will get here PDQ. We need some medics to actually make an appearance. If Helen can just hold the curious people out there off for another five minutes or so, we'll be fine."

The Commissioner stood up and dusted himself off. There was a Danish stuck to his knee; he removed it with distaste. "It'll be a circus. You do realize that, I hope?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Ryo, looking miserable at the very thought. "But at least it'll be a circus of our own choosing."

Rose almost, but not quite, smiled. "Detective," he said, "you never fail to amaze me."

"Don't forget to go back to calling me 'Ryo' when the circus is here, like you always do," Ryo reminded him, and this time the Commissioner really did smile. "And I don't want any threats or repercussions on Dee and me," Ryo added. "I know I shoved you off the end of the sofa, but you kind of deserved it." The Commissioner's smile disappeared.

"That's a matter of contention, Ryo. I see it quite differently. And Detective Laytner, let's not forget, actually attacked me. That his intention to break my nose did not succeed, I will concede is because of your efforts on my behalf, but I cannot permit this behavior to go unpunished."

"One of these days, I WILL succeed, 'sir'," sneered Dee, and then the breath shot out of him in a loud "Oooof!" as Ryo elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

"Shut up!" Ryo snapped. "You've caused more than enough trouble for one day, already." He turned his attention back to Rose. "I mean it, sir. If you decide to take revenge, I'll fight back with everything I have."

"Ryo, Ryo, weren't you listening earlier? I told you that you need never have anything to fear from me."

"Yes sir, I heard you. It's true that in all the time we've known each other, you've never raised your voice or hand to me. It's more your style to threaten me through my career or my partner in a soft voice with a smile on your face. I...I wish you wouldn't do that, sir."

The Commissioner looked quite taken aback. "I'm appalled that you think so, Ryo. I have no recollection of ever threatening your career, and if I've threatened your partner, it was not without just cause."

"Look, we can argue about it after you've made the call," Ryo said. "Get that part done now." He pointed to the Commissioner's desk.

"Yes, _sir_," Rose drawled sardonically. He duly called 911 and lied though his teeth about a male choking victim who had just lost consciousness. They asked him to stay on the line until the medics arrived.

After a few minutes of pretending to try various techniques on the 'victim', Rose was able to report a successful dislodging of the food that had blocked the victim's airway, and a return to consciousness on the part of the victim.

"Do you still need the paramedics or should we call them back?" the 911 operator asked.

"Oh, by all means, send them," Rose replied. "I hope they'll be able to reassure me that Detective MacLean is all right, and that we've done all we can."

After hanging up, he went to the door and opened it a crack. Helen stood with her back to him, on guard and armed with a large wooden ruler. Marianne stood nearby, tearfully sucking the knuckles of her right hand. Janet and Leona were still trying to remonstrate with the recalcitrant Helen.

"Pssst, Helen," the Commissioner whispered. "We've had a choking incident in here. When the paramedic team arrives, please let them in. Incidentally, there may be more than one t- "

Marianne noticed his face at the door and cried, "Berkley! Are you all right? We heard shouting! Fighting too. What happened?"

The Commissioner felt a flash of irritation that she had forgotten herself so far as to address him by his first name in front of the other two women. Although he supposed his involvement with her wasn't exactly a secret, it still didn't do to be too open about certain things. "Marianne, Janet, Leona," he said, "I want to thank you all for your concern and urge you to return to your posts. We've had a bit of a medical emergency here, but all is well. Please go back to your desks. The last thing I want is a crowd gathering in front of my office."

"Berkley! She - she hit me! With that huge ruler she's holding. Look, just look at my hand! I H-HATE her. You have to get a new secretary."

"I'm sorry, Marianne. Please come and see me about it later. Right now, I'm a little busy." He shut the door in their faces, and locked it. Helen had a key and she would open the door when the time came. Right now he just couldn't wait for the whole thing to be over. He had every intention of taking revenge, despite his assurances to the contrary. His ire was directed mainly at Detective Laytner. If the man hadn't come in right then at that particular and precious moment... Well, the time would come when he would regret his cowboy behavior. Unless Ryo's problematic partner was prepared to do things one hundred percent by the book, he would find it very difficult to stay employed at the 27th Precinct in the future. It would all be done legally and above board, but Commissioner Rose had decided that, one way or another, he was going to free himself of Detective Laytner.

The FDNY medics arrived first, checked Ryo over, and left, after pronouncing him in the clear. They apologized for taking so long to find the right office. There had been a bit of confusion when they had asked at the front desk, and the fellow there had gotten flustered and sent them up to the third floor instead of the second. This gave the Commissioner grounds to roundly scold Janet and Marianne for abandoning their posts on a flimsy pretext and threaten to suspend them without pay if it happened again. Janet took it stoically, but Marianne began crying anew. She was normally such a sweet girl, but today she had tried his patience to its limits.

By the time a pair of medics from New York East had arrived, Commissioner Rose had had enough. They were allowed no more than a very cursory examination of the victim before they were shooed out.

Rose ostentatiously thanked Detective Laytner for his 'assistance', Ryo thanked both of them for 'saving his life', and the staff members who had been drawn by the sight of paramedics going into the Commissioner's office broke into spontaneous applause. Disaster was averted.

When Ryo was eventually able to leave the Commissioner's office, followed silently by his partner, he was dismayed to learn that it was now nine o'clock. They had to be in Brooklyn for Eddie's funeral at eleven - he needed to leave immediately. But Dee had other ideas.

Once they had reached the relative sanctity of their office, Dee shut the door and leaned against it. "Ryo, we have to talk," he said.

Ryo wouldn't look at him. The sight of Dee's handsome and much-loved face had brought back all the anger and misery that he had been feeling before the crisis in the Commissioner's office. His emotions felt very raw and close to the surface, and if he opened the door to them even a crack, he knew they would come pouring out and he would make a bigger fool of himself than he already had. He just couldn't deal with this now. Not only did he have a very tight schedule today, but he was also afraid he might break down, right here at work. That couldn't be allowed to happen. "Dee, not here and not now," he said

"Yes here, and yes, now," Dee insisted. "We have to fix this before it festers."

"It's too late for fixing. I saw what I saw. I also heard you tell JJ to keep your meeting with him a secret from me." Ryo snatched up his suit jacket and put it on with jerky movements. "Well, that's fine. I won't ask you to tell me all your _other_ secrets. I have a funeral to go to, in case you've forgotten."

"I saw what I saw, too. If I hadn't arrived right when I did, I think you would have let that bastard kiss you. And that was a secret meeting too, or else you would have told me about it."

"Are you suggesting that I...that I was encouraging him? That I _wanted_ him to kiss me?" Ryo's hurt and resentment transformed in a flash to outrage.

"No. Well, maybe. What I'm really saying is that sometimes it's possible for a person to walk in on something and get the wrong idea."

Ryo glared at Dee. "Well, naturally you would want me to believe that I got the wrong idea about JJ, especially since you went to such trouble to make me believe that you weren't interested in him, that I was the only one you wanted. Well, I'll tell you right now that you can't have both of us. So take him with my blessing. I'm sorry I was ever stupid enough to trust you." Ryo's voice began to shake on the last sentence and he took a couple of deep breaths, willing his eyes not to fill with tears like they were threatening to do. The tightness was back in his throat.

"Ryo, what's the matter with you?" Dee looked at him reproachfully. "You wanna break up over something stupid like this? It's all a misunderstanding, can't you see that? Back when I was in the hospital with that gunshot wound, you said to me that you had been under the impression that I knew you better than anybody. You were surprised that I'd been afraid you didn't really care about me. Well, now it's my turn to say it. I thought you knew me."

"I thought I did too," whispered Ryo, fists clenched at his sides.

"Then you should know by now that I never lie, not about the big things. You should know that I love you, only you, and not in some casual kind of way. I love you like I never loved anyone. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I never even imagined I could have this kind of happiness. Yeah, I'm an idiot, but I'm certainly not stupid enough to screw this up."

Ryo blinked at him because suddenly it was hard to focus. _Dammit,_ he thought. _I'm crying._

"JJ got all pissy about us trashing his apartment last night. He made me promise to have breakfast with him today, and he also negotiated a hug. That was it, a hug and breakfast. Is that something to cut me loose over?"

"B-but you kept it a secret...You told him not to tell me."

Dee sighed. "That was a mistake. For that, I'm sorry. It's just that you always got so, well, _jealous_ about him that I thought if I told you, you would start imagining things and get mad at me. And you know I hate it when you're mad at me. But what happened today was a thousand times worse than that. I can't stand seeing you hurt, really I can't..."

He took a step toward Ryo, who held up a warning hand.

"Then, are you telling me that you _haven't_ been seeing JJ – or anyone else –

behind my back for the last two years?"

Rapid footsteps sounded in the hall and then suddenly he door lurched open behind Dee propelling him forward by a few paces. JJ stuck his head around it, saying, "Hey guys, what happened down in the Commish's off -"

"GET OUT!" Dee and Ryo yelled in unison, and JJ retreated, hurt. Dee slammed the door behind him.

He crossed the short distance between himself and his partner, and took Ryo by the shoulders. "No," he said simply, but firmly. "From the first day I met you, there's been no one for me but you. I swear it on Jess' grave. On Mother's life, too, if you want." He watched a tear well up in the corner of Ryo's eye and run down his cheek. A gasping sound that was not quite a sob came out of the other man, who lowered his head and allowed Dee to draw him into his arms.

"Ryo... Ryo," he murmured against his lover's thick, silky hair. "Everything's okay, really it is. You're just overworked and overtired. And you recently made a big, life-changing decision – one that involves me – and today you got scared you'd made a mistake, didn't you?"

Ryo didn't answer. But his arms went around Dee's back and held on to him tightly.

"You didn't make a mistake," Dee said in a soft voice with fierce undertones. "You know I'm a religious man, right?" He nudged Ryo. "Right?"

"M-hm." Ryo sniffled against Dee's shoulder.

"Then listen to me. Look at me." He tilted Ryo's chin up with his hand and looked intently into his beautiful eyes, still brilliant with unshed tears. "I swear to you on my love and respect for God in Heaven that my relationship with you is sacred to me. Do you hear me? I have never and will never be unfaithful to you. I promise you that, as God is my witness. And if you think I'm not strong enough to be faithful, you'd better think again." He kissed Ryo's forehead. "When this damn funeral is over with and you've had a good night's sleep, you'll be able to think more clearly and trust your judgment about me."

Ryo's head moved in a slight but definitive nod. He felt incredibly relieved and moved. And Dee was almost certainly right about his needing a good night's sleep. He supposed Dee was probably expecting an apology for his having doubted him. If so, that was too bad because he wasn't going to get one.

"By the way, I am NOT jealous!" was all Ryo said, rubbing impatiently at the tears on his lashes. "And you still owe me a mug."

"Anything you say. Now shut up and kiss me, you gorgeous thing..."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Out in the CI room, JJ sat dejectedly at his desk, mopping at his eyes with a tissue, while Drake awkwardly patted his back.

"Why is everyone so mean to me? Am I mean to them? NO-o! I try my best to be cheerful and - and - friendly... All I said was...I just asked them..." JJ sobbed into his tissue.

"Aw come on, little buddy. Don't take it so hard. They were probably just stressed out by the Commish, that's all. There's a rumor making the rounds that someone actually got choked or something in his office, you know."

"Well, th-that's why I asked them what happened. I w-was worried. But they looked at me like they wanted to kill me!"

"I'm sure it was nothing personal. They're goin' to a funeral this morning too, don't forget."

Ted, who had just sneaked a peek into Dee and Ryo's office and had seen them passionately kissing, snorted quietly to himself.

JJ took exception to this. "What was that snort about, Ted? Huh? Huh? Are you being an asshole today, too?"

"No, man," Ted replied. "Not today, I'm not. By the way, Dee and Ryo aren't freaked out by that funeral, or even by the Commissioner. They had a problem with each other, that's all. But it's done with now."

"Hey," said Drake. "Ted, do you know something we don't?"

Ted just smirked and returned to his files. "You guys call yourselves detectives?"

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

end of chapter 37

Additional author's notes: _I hope you enjoyed the dueling breakfasts! I wrote this chapter while listening to my husband singing the same couple of songs over and over, so it was really difficult for me to concentrate. (He's just lucky I love him!) _

_By the way, chapter 38 is up on my LJ page__, __where you will also find part one of a new two-part sexy summer story about Dee and Ryo trying to beat the heat. It's called Heat Wave and so far, it's only available on my Livejournal. I can't give you the address because Fanfiction (dot) net doesn't permit links. However, if you do a google search with these words: _brit-columbia, livejournal, _voila! There I am._

_In other news, A New Day, Chapter 39 is about 40 percent written. I hope I can finish it next weekend and send it off to the betas. If I'm able to do that, then the next post will be in two weeks._

_Cheers,_

_Brit_


	38. Chapter 38

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 38_

_Fandom:_ Fake

_Pairing:_ Dee/ Ryo

_Rating:_ Worksafe. There's always swearing, however.

_Spoilers:_ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary:_ Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Detective Shaver is mine however, along with Detectives Mitchell, Palmer, Chang, Austen, Fowler and Greenspan. Captain Pete Dory is also mine, along with Lieutenant Guerrero. I have not based these characters on any living person.

_Author's notes:_ I believe that in real life the fire site may have been too hot for the arson investigators to start sifting through debris as early as the next morning, but just like the liberties I took with the speed (or slowness) of CSI work and lab results, I have speeded up the investigative process in the interests of keeping the story moving. I also don't know if Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery has a special area for impoverished Catholics or not. Many Catholic communities seem to be able to offer Catholic burials for those who died penniless. I'm also aware that the era of casket burials is coming to an end in NYC, and in fact, most cities or regions that have too many people and not enough land. However, I wanted an old-fashioned casket burial for this story, so I went ahead and wrote one anyway. I have made JJ's hair white blond so that he can have the option of dying it blue or pink or whatever he wants. I just can't believe he has naturally blue hair!

_Thank you_ to Mtemplar, Moontatoo and LadyFeather

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Chapter 38_

Just as Ryo and Dee were getting ready to leave their office, there was a knock on the door. Drake stood there, holding Dee's big bouquet of flowers with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Oh, hey, my funeral flowers. Thanks, man."

"No problem, dude. Helen sent 'em up. Are you guys on your way out?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, "and I'm afraid we're in a hurry. See you later, Dra - "

"Just a sec." Drake moved to block their progress, looking more sheepish than ever. "Any chance you can spare a quick word for JJ before you go? He's kinda...goin' through the tissues in there." With a jerk of his head he indicated the CI room a couple of doors down the hall.

"Aw, man." Dee appeared chagrined.

Ryo tried not to let his exasperation show. He well knew that Drake had a soft spot for JJ's little drama-queen moments, although his own personal opinion was that that JJ had been indulged too much in this regard.

Dee glanced at Ryo inquiringly and Ryo looked pointedly at his watch.

"Come on," said Drake. "Just fifteen seconds of friendliness. You know how sensitive he is, and I can't get any work outta him while he's in this condition."

Drake watched them carefully. Ted had been hinting at something between these two - what? He saw Dee look at Ryo again, clearly leaving the decision to him. Ryo was still hesitating, and there was a brief flash of what looked like resentment in his eyes when he returned Dee's gaze. Finally, he gave Dee a minute nod and Dee turned back to Drake.

"Okay, what the hell. But no hugging or attacking or touchy-feely shit! I'm holding you personally accountable, dude. And just fifteen seconds because we really gotta go."

"Thanks. Come on, then."

JJ was blowing his nose wetly on a tissue as they entered. When he raised his tear-streaked face and saw who his visitors were, a fresh flood of tears filled his eyes. Ryo felt a small, mean-spirited sense of satisfaction at the sight of the younger man's woebegone features. In his opinion, JJ had not been entirely without fault in his shameless, self-centered instigation of that secret breakfast meeting with Dee earlier. Ryo instantly felt guilty for having such thoughts, however. After all, as far as JJ knew, Dee was a single, unattached guy who had not been claimed by anyone. Ryo dutifully tried to summon up some sympathy for his co-worker.

"H-hi guys," JJ ventured in a creaky voice. "I'm sorry if I was bugging you back there...Ryo, you're always reminding me that I ought to knock f-first, but I never remember until..." Drake handed him another tissue, and he pressed it against his eyes for a moment before continuing... "until someone gets mad at me. So, I'm really, really sorr -"

Dee cut him off. "JJ, dude, just switch off the waterworks okay? We came to apologize for yelling at you back there, but we're late for a funeral so we don't have time for long speeches."

"You came to apologize? To ME? B-but - "

"Yeah. We were having a bad morning and your timing kinda sucked. But we're all still friends, right?"

A brilliant smile lit JJ's face, and his tears seemed to dry like magic. "Always, Dee-sempai! And you too, Ryo! I can't believe you guys came to apologize to me, even though everything was all my fault." He sprang to his feet and came around his desk toward them with his arms held wide. "GROUP HUG!"

Drake immediately intercepted him before he could reach an alarmed Ryo and Dee, both of whom were already backing away. "JJ, they've gotta leave right now," Drake said, hoping the other two men would be able to get the hell out of there before JJ got away on him. "But _I'd_ really like a hug..." He wrapped his strong arms around JJ and held him immobile.

"Oh Drakey, just what I needed..." JJ sighed, and pressed his body against his partner's, nuzzling happily against his chest and clinging to his broad back.

"Aw man!" Ted groaned as he walked through the door with a fresh cup of coffee. "Just when the rumors about this place start to die down a little! I gotta get a transfer or I'll never get my hands on a female again."

&X&X&X&X&

As Dee and Ryo passed the Chief's office, Leona quickly stepped out to deliver a message that the Chief wanted to see them that afternoon at two o'clock sharp.

"Can you ask him if 2:30 is okay?" Ryo didn't stop; he merely slowed down. "We want to swing by the fire scene after the funeral."

"If it's not okay, I'll ring your cell phone," she called after them.

"Is your car nearby?" Ryo was hurrying down the front steps and Dee was trying to keep up with him, while lighting a cigarette. It took a bit of coordination.

"Yeah, just one street over. I couldn't get a spot in the lot today."

"It's nine-twenty. Do you think we can get to my place in twenty minutes?"

"We can get to your place in _ten_ minutes if you don't mind a bit of creative driving."

"No thanks. Twenty minutes will be fine. I'd rather be late for Eddie's funeral than early for my own! Let's see, you've taken care of the flowers so we don't need to pick any up... I'm already dressed, but I bet Bikky hasn't even taken the dry cleaners' plastic off his suit yet. Oh, did you pick up your black suit?"

"Uhh... not exactly. You see, we all got a little busy there when I wasn't expecting it."

"What? Dee we don't have enough time to go get your suit now! You're going to have to wear the grey one that we brought from your place on Sunday night."

"Sure, whatever. It's too light for a funeral, but no one's gonna put my picture in the paper, right? Can I at least borrow your black shirt to wear with it?"

"Why do you always have to borrow my shirts? You treat my closet like an extension of your own! And by the way - isn't that my tee-shirt you're wearing?"

Dee looked mock-guilty. "Busted."

"I could've sworn I put it in the laundry hamper. Did you fish it out of there?"

"Uh huh."

"Dee, I don't understand you. If you were going to borrow one of my shirts without asking, why wouldn't you at least choose a clean one?"

Dee pulled up the front of the tee-shirt and pressed it to his nose. "This one smells like you."

Ryo felt his face getting warm and quickly averted his eyes. "I'm sure it smells quite gross."

"Nah, it smells fabulous. Especially in the pit area."

"Dee! For Pete's sake, don't do that right on the street. That's so embarrassing! Don't you have any shame?"

Dee considered that question for a moment. "Not much. When you're a hot-looking bastard like me, you can get away with practically anything." He grinned incorrigibly at Ryo. "There's the car. You wanna drive?"

"Nope. It's June now. My month at the wheel is over."

"Hot damn! That's right, too. Well, it was nice having a chauffeur for the month of May, but I'll be glad to start driving around at normal speeds again."

"You mean illegal speeds."

"Whatever you wanna call it, 'grandma'. By the way - " He unlocked the door and tossed the flowers over the roof of the car to Ryo. "These are for you."

"Huh? I thought you said they were for the funeral." Ryo was almost hidden behind the huge bouquet.

"Nah, just those six lilies tucked into the side. The rest are for you. Because your partner is sometimes an idiot."

Feeling embarrassed and pleased, Ryo stood for a moment, almost unconsciously clasping the flowers to himself, and thinking _**Your**__ partner can be an idiot, too_, but he certainly didn't say that out loud. Instead, he grinned slowly at Dee, and said, "Yeah, but he's _my_ idiot, isn't he?"

&X&X&X&X&X&

"Bikky, I don't know why you're making such a fuss. Nobody wears shorts and a tee-shirt to a funeral, even if the tee-shirt is black."

"Eddie wasn't a 'suit' kind of guy! He wouldn't recognize me dressed like this. It seems fake for me to show up at his funeral looking like an overdressed doofus."

Ryo sighed in exasperation. "Trust me, you'll look like more of a doofus if you don't wear a suit. What's the big deal? Look, Thomas is wearing a suit."

"Lookin' good, Thomas." Dee gave him a thumbs up, and the boy smiled and preened himself slightly.

"That's 'cause his dad made him," Bikky scoffed, folding his arms mutinously.

"Oh, really?" Ryo stood up and towered over him. "Well, guess what, B? Your dad is making _you_ wear one, too."

"Crap!"

"That's enough! You've got ten minutes or we're all going without you." Ryo thrust the suit into his son's arms and gave him a push in the direction of his bedroom.

"I'll help." Carol slid off her perch on the arm of the overstuffed chair Thomas was sitting in.

"Uh...me too!" Thomas stood up quickly.

"No way, suit-boy!" Bikky pointed a finger at him. "Three's a crowd when I'm takin' off my clothes."

Thomas seemed a little confused. "But I've seen you in the locker room at the basketball game!"

Dee put a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Say, let's get a dab of polish on your shoes, huh? Bein' a sharp-dressed man is all in the details, kid."

"Sure, Dee." Thomas followed him to the kitchen, glad for a bit of masculine advice.

Ryo looked anxiously at his watch. Why did no one seem to have any concept of time or punctuality except him? Even Carol had shown up later than usual today. At least Dee had gotten dressed relatively quickly, an ability no doubt refined through many years of waking up late for work.

Just as Ryo was thinking that maybe he could grab two minutes to himself, Dee yelled from the kitchen that he couldn't find the shoe polish. It sounded like he was pulling things out of drawers and tossing them onto the floor.

Ryo sighed, wondering if the day would ever come when this bunch could do things without him. And without making a mess. "Okay, I'll find it, Dee. You just go down and get the mail, okay? It should be here by now." Ryo took the mailbox key off its hook on the wall and handed it to his partner.

&X&X&X&X&X&X&X&

Bikky glowered at his reflection. He looked like a total dork. If Eddie could see him right now, he'd be laughing his ass off. The only good thing about this whole experience was that Carol had been like his personal handmaiden while he was getting dressed, and now she was choosing a tie for him. He really didn't want to wear a tie, but she had already said she'd put it on for him, which meant she would be standing really close to him, pretty well kissing distance. He wasn't sure if he was going to try to kiss her again, especially since his last attempt, on the night of Ryo's goofy lecture about fighting his own battles, hadn't gone down so well. He wondered what Eddie would advise, if he were there. In earlier years, Eddie had often been a source of good advice.

Almost like magic, he heard Eddie's voice in his head. _Go for it, little brother. But be_ _a gentleman. _

Then Carol was standing in front of him, frowning. "Bikky, I can't believe you have only two ties! And they're both ugly. I wonder if we could borrow one of Ryo's?"

"Nah," said Bikky quickly, not wanting to lose the moment. "Just put that striped one on me."

"All right," she said, looping it around his neck, and standing close. "But I think it looks like a school tie."

"So I look like a refugee from a Catholic school?" He grinned at her, and she smiled back at him. She seemed about to say something, but then she closed her mouth and her eyes darted involuntarily to his lips. Bikky raised a hand to her shoulder. It was now or never.

Suddenly there was a series of loud and rapid bangs on the door, causing the young pair to spring guiltily apart. Perv-man's voice was shouting something, and all Bikky knew at that moment was that he wanted to kill him. Slowly.

He stalked to the door and yanked it open. "What the hell are you yapping about, asshole?"

Dee thrust a large, battered-looking yellow envelope at Bikky's chest. "Special delivery. That porno you ordered finally arrived. 'Wild Girls of Waikiki'. Or is it 'Whale Girls?' I didn't look too closely. But make sure you show it to Carol. There's nothing more romantic than looking at porn together." He smirked at both of them and disappeared back to the kitchen.

"What the fuck?" Bikky looked anxiously at the envelope, before realizing that he'd been had. He wouldn't have put it past that loser-moron to set him up with some kind of plus-size lingerie catalogue.

"What is it and who's it from?" Carol was looking suspiciously at the package, a larger than average envelope, heavily taped, and stamped.

"Dunno. Who cares? I'm kinda busy right now."

"I can't believe you don't care." She took it from him and turned it over. "Hmm. No return address. How mysterious! Are you going to open it?"

At that particular point in time, Bikky couldn't have cared less about the package. His mind was on getting Carol back into position for a possible kiss. Taking the envelope from her, he tossed it into a corner of the room. "Maybe later. How about my tie? Ryo's about to start nagging."

"Oh, right. Stand still, then."

Bikky submitted to the care of his handmaiden. She was so close to him, frowning slightly in concentration as she tugged the tail of his tie through the loop she had made. Did she ever smell great. It was too bad she was still a little bit taller than him. A lock of her beautiful silvery-blond hair fell forward over her eyes and he reached up without thinking to push it back. She glanced up at him from the knot at his throat and her busy hands stilled. There was a heart-stopping moment where the subtle energy between them began to coalesce into something amazing...

And then Ryo was at the door snapping, "Bikky! Carol! If you guys aren't in the car in 60 seconds, you're taking the bus to Brooklyn!"

With that, the spell was broken. Bikky swore softly. He couldn't _wait_ to fucking grow up.

&X&X&X&X&X&

"I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God..."

Ryo stood with Dee, Bikky, Carol, Thomas and more than two hundred of Eddie's former friends and acquaintances on the south lawn of Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery, listening to Father Russell perform an abbreviated version of the funeral rites. Father Russell was the bearded and rather solemn priest who conducted services at the small church on the grounds of Mother Maria's orphanage. To Ryo's surprise, it turned out that Father Russell had known Eddie quite well and had been happy to perform the service free of charge.

"Eddie never would accept help any help from me," the old man had said. "He was more comfortable with giving than taking, and he often gave more than he could really afford to part with. But it looks like finally Heaven has granted me the opportunity to do something for him."

Today, the sun was shining, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, causing the sunlight to shimmer on them in a dancing pattern of green and gold. Although the occasion was intrinsically sad - the laying to rest of a young man dead before his time - Ryo felt a sense of peace settle over him. Greenwood Cemetery was a beautiful, tranquil place, a verdant jewel in the middle of Brooklyn. The sounds of city traffic could barely be heard in this part of the funeral grounds, but the air seemed to be alive with the chirps and calls of various birds. He was delighted when he saw a green parakeet swoop above the assembled party. He had heard about the parakeets of Greenwood, but he hadn't actually seen one before. The scent of freshly cut grass filled his nostrils, along with that of various blossoms. _Summer's here_, he thought, wondering how it had managed to sneak up on him without his really noticing until now.

His eyes ranged over the mourners and he wondered what his father's somewhat stuffy family would have made of this motley crew. Judging by the quantity of pasty faces and sleepy eyes, Eddie's friends seemed to be mostly people of the night. There was a number of women and girls who were clearly prostitutes, upwards of twenty scruffy-looking teens who may or may not have been homeless, and a lot of people of both sexes who seemed like average working folk. The vast majority of them were young, twenty-five or younger. Some of them had made an effort to dress up, with varying levels of success, but most of the youngest ones had simply come as they were, just as Bikky would have if he hadn't had a father to make him wear a suit.

Mother Maria had reportedly stayed behind at the orphanage to look after the youngest children, but Sister Germana was there with about seven of the older ones. Their faces had lit up at the sight of Dee, but they held themselves in check out of respect for the occasion.

Father Russell was in the process of conducting a highly Catholic, rather than a non-denominational graveside ceremony, and had, in fact, been able to use Eddie's 'religion' as a means of getting the costs of this funeral reduced to much more affordable levels for Ryo. He had apparently performed Eddie's baptism twenty years ago, and had somehow managed to obtain a burial plot for Eddie in the Catholic section of Greenwood, in a spot reserved for impoverished Catholics who had nonetheless managed to have a great impact on their communities.

Ryo wondered whether a Catholic burial would have mattered to Eddie or not. It was possible that Eddie had been a regular church-goer, although he wouldn't have bet on it. He realized that apart from the string of disconnected anecdotes that Bikky had told him the night when they had all discovered that Eddie was dead, he really didn't know anything much about the young man whose funeral he was paying for. All of that changed, however, when Father Russell called upon the assembled individuals to each contribute a few words to the eulogy if they wished.

Everyone shuffled their feet nervously and looked sidelong at each other. Clearly, no one wanted to go first. Father Russell had expected that, however, and asked Bikky if he would say a few words.

When Bikky stepped out from the shelter of Ryo's shadow and felt the eyes of every person there upon him, he felt momentarily tongue-tied. Looking down at his dress shoes for a moment, he gathered both his courage and his thoughts, and then raised his eyes to the expectant crowd. Suddenly he was glad he was wearing a suit. It seemed appropriate to the occasion and to his role in it.

Ryo watched in surprise as a transformation came over Bikky. His habitual teen slouch seemed to drop from his shoulders; he stood up straight and addressed the mourners in a clear, strong voice. He appeared older all of a sudden, and Ryo realized that he was getting a glimpse of the future. Bikky was still a child, but the shape of the man he would become was there at that moment for all to see.

"Thanks, everyone, for coming here today. I know some of you were working all night, and it wasn't easy to find this place, but I'm sure Eddie appreciates it a lot. And we all know he woulda done the same for us, for any of us.

"All of us here had a different experience of Eddie. We all have different memories of him. I just wanna share a few of mine, and then say a couple of words to Eddie, because I believe he's right here with us, right now, listening to us. We just can't see him, that's all."

Beside Ryo, Dee's head was nodding, and so, Ryo noted, were several other heads around the grave site. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Bikky to go on.

"Most people," said Bikky, "when they looked at Eddie, saw a dirty, drug-addicted nobody, a second class citizen. Well, it's true he had a drug problem and that he was also homeless. But he wasn't always like that. Eddie was a brain-injured person. Before that, he had hopes, dreams and plans, like anyone else. He was my babysitter back in the day. My old man trusted him to look out for me. He looked out for a lot of kids. You guys know that better than anybody."

Carol leaned against Ryo, tears running down her face. She had been emotional from the moment they had arrived, when she had seen the casket waiting with such solid, unarguable finality beside the open grave. He put his arm around her. On his other side, Thomas began to sniffle. They listened as Bikky continued with his part of the eulogy.

"Eddie wasn't a junkie, the first five or six years I knew him. That was something that happened after his head injury. After that it was hard for him to remember stuff sometimes, or other times he remembered it wrong, so he couldn't hold onto a job. He didn't have parents who could look out for him. It was kind of unavoidable that he'd get into trouble. He ran drugs for a gang out of Brooklyn for a while until all the principal members got sent up. By then, he was solidly addicted. He sold drugs, was a lookout, did B&Es, shoplifted and all in the name of survival. Yet, all through it, he somehow kept his independence. He never would hurt anyone, and got the crap beaten out of him countless times for sticking up for people."

Bikky walked over to the closed casket that held Eddie's remains and laid a hand on it. "Eddie, you were like a brother in the 'hood to me, man. You couldn't protect anyone, but you were always there to offer comfort, company, shelter, or something to eat. No matter how little you had, you were always willing to share it." He bowed his head. "Life on the streets can't really be called much of a life. But your life counted, Eddie. I'm gonna miss you. Always."

"Amen," said Father Russell, echoed softly by Dee and a few others. The priest asked if anyone else would like to speak.

One by one people stood up and said a few words about how Eddie had been there for them when they needed help. Eddie had encouraged, listened and fed people, and had even shared his drugs, practically unheard of for a junkie. Two girls who were dressed like boys stepped forward to the coffin and sang 'Amazing Grace' in sweet, although slightly off-key voices. Thomas plucked up his courage and read a heartfelt poem he had composed himself. And so it went on for a good twenty-five minutes, after which, Ryo couldn't really say that he no longer knew much about Eddie.

Many of the assembled mourners wept openly, although a few, notably Bikky, remained stoic. When Ryo put his hand on Bikky's shoulder, he shrugged it off and stood stiffly by himself. Near the end, Carol left Ryo's side and went to Bikky for comfort. He put his arms around her and her tears started anew.

"Into your hands, Father of mercies, we commend our brother in the sure and certain hope that, together with all who have died in Christ, he will rise with him on the last day."

While Father Russell spoke the final words of the Committal ceremony before the coffin was lowered into the ground, Ryo reflected on what he had heard and what it all meant. Listening to the hardships of Eddie's life had certainly put his own problems into a better perspective for him. Eddie had lost both his parents at an early age, his father to an accident that may have been a murder when he was about seven, and later, at sixteen, his mother to a severe psychotic disorder. There had been no Aunt Elena to step up to the plate and make sure he finished his education and ate regular meals. There had been no inheritance to help him get a start in life. Unlike himself, Ryo thought, Eddie had probably never had the time or leisure to work himself into a state of conflict about his sexuality. But, as Bikky had said that night at the kitchen table, no matter how hard life got, Eddie was always trying. Trying to find food and shelter from day to day, trying to be as successful as possible at whatever he was driven to do to ensure his survival, trying to help others, and trying to maintain his integrity and his sense of self in the face of insurmountable opposition. He was a dirty, homeless drug addict, as Bikky had said, as everyone there knew. And yet, in spite of that, his life had been a success in many ways.

Ryo had always thought that that success in life came from hard work and ambition, as well as from having a place in one's community. That was still true. But it also came from having integrity and the courage to fight for what you believe in. Eddie had a hard life, but stayed true to himself and always stood up for others. Dee and Bikky were, unfortunately, both brawlers, but they were also fighting for respect in every area of their lives. Thomas may not be able to fight the bullies who made his life hell, yet he was planning to march in the Gay Pride Parade. That was a different kind of fighting. Carol fought the shame and stigma of her past as a petty thief and the daughter of a bank robber every day of her life by striving for top grades in school with which to build the foundations of a successful future for herself. And she did it while being sweet and gracious to everybody around her, which had won her respect and popularity amongst her peers.

_What do I believe in?_ Ryo asked himself. _What should I be fighting for?_ Then he knew that he had been doing it for weeks, but in his own way. He'd been fighting to understand himself after years of being too afraid to find out. It had taken courage for him to face the hidden parts of his personality, as well as his own anxiety and doubt surrounding them. His recent acceptance of his sexuality had forced him to confront old fears - fears of being reviled, disliked, discriminated against, and excluded from the place he had found for himself in society. He had already experienced some of those things in recent weeks, in both overt and subtle ways, and his world hadn't exactly fallen apart. Even when Mel, the skinhead, had been pointing a gun at him and spewing hate and venom about 'fags', it really hadn't been that much different from other times when he had faced armed and angry people in the course of his police work.

Respectability was important to him, as it had been to his parents before him. He was still wondering whether it would be possible for him to live a respectable kind of life in the larger, straight community, but as a gay man. From what he had seen of the gay community, he could not really see himself fitting in there. He wanted to stay in the closet for now, but when he was honest with himself, he couldn't actually imagine opening his mouth and lying if someone were to ask him a direct question about his sexuality. He had been, frankly, quite surprised at how many people seemed to already know. He realized then that he would come out of the closet at some point in the future, but when he was good and ready and not before, and that he was really just gathering his forces in preparation for that day.

Everything else, his recent uncertainty about his fatherhood skills, and his self-doubts at work, were just side effects of the process he had been going through, was in fact, still going through. He had noticed that in the past week or so, his confidence had started to come back. And on several occasions, when his worst fears had actually been realized, such as when Lieutenant Abernathy practically announced to the entire 27th Precinct that he, Detective MacLean, was a homosexual, it hadn't been anywhere near as bad as he had expected.

The fear of being outed was a small, pale thing compared to the fear he had felt when Dee had been shot and he thought he had lost him. And if he could live with that fear on a daily basis, then he could face anything. He knew that he would and could continue to fight for everything that was important to him: justice for the victims of criminal acts committed in his community, his son's future, and his own right to happiness with the partner of his choice. Courage was something he knew he had, and as for confidence -- well, that was something he could fake until the real thing returned. Hadn't he been doing that for years?

As Carol tossed white lilies one by one onto the top of the coffin while it was lowered into the grave, Dee's fingers worked on his rosary. He wondered if he dared to hold Ryo's hand in front of all these people. But it was Ryo who turned to him and squeezed his hand. When he let it go, Dee put his arm around Ryo's shoulders and drew him close. Ryo let him, and laid his head on Dee's shoulder.

As the burial staff began to shovel earth down on top of the coffin, the guests began taking their leave. Some of them just melted away silently, but others came up to speak a few words to Bikky before they left.

Shantaya was there, black mascara streaking her unmade-up cheeks. "Aw, honey, that was beautiful. Thank you so much for organizing such a beautiful send-off for Eddie like that."

"You're welcome, Shantaya. But all of you guys helped by contributing money to the cause. It was the least we could do for him, huh?"

She nodded, fishing in her oversized bag for a tissue. "I'd best get going, babycakes. Rick don't know I'm here, and I'd like to be back before he gets home from the hospital."

"Hospital? Did something happen to him?"

"No, _he's_ fine. But his music partner got beat up by a cop last night - got tasered up one side and down the other, or somethin' like that. Rick's mighty upset, 'cuz this is apparently gonna set back the release date of his debut single." She shrugged. "He's been in a bad mood since he heard, and I don't wanna be givin' him no excuses for takin' it out on me. See you round the 'hood, honey! Do your homework, now, and listen to your dad." She flashed a shy look at Ryo, before enveloping Bikky in a warm, perfumed hug.

Ryo gave her an equally shy nod before turning away to say goodbye to Father Russell, who was planning to take the bus back with the gang from the orphanage.

Bikky saw Giovanna there too, hovering in the background and looking indescribably elegant in a tight black dress and an enormous black hat with a veil. She was accompanied by a large, hulking man whom Bikky recognized as her pimp, Marlon. Marlon could have been a candidate for a guardian of the gate to hell. He was shaggy, ugly, and quite scary to look at. Give the man a pair of horns and a coat of red or green skin paint, and he'd get steady work playing bit parts in horror films. The thing was, he was as gentle as a lamb, and quite devoted to Gio. He took his job of protecting her quite seriously, and no one messed with her when he was around, which was most of the time. Bikky had seen Giovanna bossing him around something awful, though. He wasn't sure if they were lovers or not. They didn't seem to have the typical pimp/hooker relationship.

"Say, isn't that Giovanna?" Dee asked. "It looks like she wants to come over and talk to you, Biks."

"Nah, I think she wants to talk to YOU," Bikky retorted darkly, "But she gave me her word, so she's trying to control herself. I'll go say hi." He strode toward her and her massive companion.

Ryo turned to Carol, who was avidly staring at Giovanna's outfit. "Did you say someone was picking you up?"

"Yeah, my aunt's boyfriend, Wayne. I have a history test right after lunch, and I don't want to miss it. Wayne's going to take me home first so I can get changed quickly and then go to school." Carol indicated her rather conservative black and white suit. "I don't really want to show up at school like this. Everyone will think I'm trying to make a statement or something." She stole another look at Gio. "I wish I'd thought to wear a hat," she remarked.

"Do you even have a hat?" asked Dee.

"No, but if I did...I'd want one just like that." She nodded toward Giovanna, who was chatting with Bikky under the watchful eye of her guardian demon. Dee and Ryo joined her in gazing at Gio's hat, and Giovanna gave them a little wave. "That's like a movie star hat," Carol added. "A fashion shoot hat."

"Hmm, well, when you're older, I'm sure you'll get lots of opportunities to wear such hats," said Ryo reassuringly. Carol sighed.

"Anyway," said Ryo, thinking that a change of subject was in order, "Do you think Wayne would mind taking Bikky and Thomas back to the city? Dee and I have to swing by the Brooklyn Navy Yard on our way back, and I'd like Bikky to get back to school as soon as possible, too. If he comes with us, he'll probably miss the first period after lunch."

"I don't think Bikky would mind missing a class," Carol said wryly, "but I'll ask. I'm sure Wayne will say yes."

In the end, it was Bikky who said no. He was resolute that he wanted to leave with Dee and Ryo, and since the boy seemed a bit more subdued than usual, Ryo didn't argue with him or put his foot down. He felt that Bikky perhaps wanted a little bit of personal attention, and he completely understood. His own parents' funeral had been much more traumatic than this, what with the suddenness of it all and the shocking behavior of most of the members of his father's family. Their dark looks and cold disapproval had cut him like knives and had been almost impossible for him to bear on top of the double loss of his parents. Thank God for Aunt Elena. She really had saved his life, and he would never forget it if he lived to be a hundred. And now, here was a pensive-looking Bikky, fresh from presiding with such unwonted maturity over the funeral his biological father had never had...Ryo thought he perhaps understood a little bit of what was going through his foster son's mind. The boy probably needed a good cry.

Finally, Dee, Ryo and Bikky were the only ones left. There was a mound of fresh dirt on Eddie's grave, and a plain brass plaque to commemorate him. The sun still shone, the sky was still blue, and the breeze still stirred the grass and the flower beds. But Eddie was gone, along with so many other people from Bikky's life who would never walk this earth again.

Bikky, who had been gazing at the grave as though in a dream, suddenly lifted his head and looked around at all the life and beauty surrounding him. A butterfly fluttered a crazy flight path over the flattened grass where so many feet had recently stood. It was over. Bikky took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet, fresh air of early summer, but he didn't look relieved.

"That...that funeral cost a fuck of a lot of money," he remarked, sounding as aggrieved as if he'd had to pay for it himself.

Ryo was silent, and Dee was kind of surprised that Ryo, for once, wasn't calling the kid on his use of the 'F'-word.

Bikky went on. "Even with the money I raised, even with Father Russell's help, it cost you an arm and a leg. Was it worth it?" He glared at Ryo, and Dee bristled.

"Now just a friggin' second there, you mouthy little punk..."

"Dee." Ryo rested his hand on Dee's shoulder. "Let him finish."

"Why'd you do it Ryo? Eddie was nothing to you. You hardly knew him."

Ryo looked down at Bikky's tight, angry face, seeing the grief that lay underneath, the layers of sorrow, the layers of loss. This boy had lost both parents, as well as several friends, and had never before been able to attend a funeral for any of them. This was the first one of his entire life. Ryo thought carefully as to how he should answer, and in the end, just went with what was in his heart. It was the truth, anyway.

"I did it for you, Bikky. You're right, Eddie wasn't important on a personal level to me, like he was to you. But he was kind to you on many occasions in the years before I knew you, and that means something to me, even now. Of course, I didn't know you in those days, and I can't do anything about the past. But...I love who you are, B. The person you turned out to be, in spite of everything that's happened to you. I love everything you ever were and ever will be, and if Eddie helped you when you needed it, then I'm grateful to him for that."

The tears which Bikky had resolutely not shed filled his eyes at that moment, and he blindly reached for Ryo, burying his face in his foster dad's shoulder. Even Dee looked moved.

"You too," said Ryo with affection, holding out his other arm to Dee. All three of them stood with their arms around each other in the pastoral serenity of Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery, while Bikky sobbed against Ryo's reassuring, dependable form.

The butterfly fluttered in the air above their heads, before alighting for a few seconds on Bikky's upper arm. A moment later, it was back in the air, buffeted by the breeze, but determined to keep on flying in the brightness of the day.

&X&X&X&X&X&X&

Dee and Ryo decided to take Bikky with them to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, since there wasn't time to drop him off in Manhattan first.

"It might be kind of boring for you," Ryo warned. "But I don't want to hear any complaining."

Bikky, who hadn't actually started a book report that was due that very day, wasn't about to complain about missing his English class. "No worries, there, Ryo! This ain't boring. This has got to be that big warehouse fire that Gio said was in the news - drug deals and gangs and shit - er, I mean 'stuff.'"

As Dee's car ate up the blocks between the cemetery and the Navy Yard, Ryo filled Dee in on some of the things that had happened last night. He was careful not to name Abernathy with Bikky in the car, referring to him instead as 'the bad lieutenant'.

"No kidding?" said Dee. "He just took off and left the other guy? What the hell for?"

"Well, it was pretty embarrassing for him, considering that while he was gone, Detective Collins was attacked and robbed. Some of the firefighters found him unconscious next to a side entrance. When he came to, he was asking about the lieutenant. He was _worried_ about him! But it didn't look like Ab - like the bad lieutenant had been even a little bit concerned about him."

"Why did the lieutenant leave?"

"Oh, he told us some story about how he had been following a suspect and that there hadn't been time to alert Detective Collins. But he wasn't able to produce the guy he had allegedly been following, and it all seemed rather fishy."

Dee thought for a moment. "Well, it sounds like there could have been a suspect. After all, _someone_ knocked out Collins."

"If it was one of the Dyre Street Devils, the lieutenant would certainly have just let him go, if the other info we got that he's working with them now is correct."

"Hmm, interesting. So we have at least one survivor."

"Make that two." Ryo corrected him. "Essien Ibo of The Stone Bloods also made it out. Marty ID'd him before they loaded his stretcher into the ambulance. He couldn't talk, though. He was in pretty rough shape."

"Ibo! Now that's a guy I'd like to talk to."

"If the doctors will give us permission to interview him, we can try for that later today. He's at The Brooklyn Hospital Center."

"Ryo," said Bikky suddenly from the back seat. "Is there some reason why you said I wasn't allowed to go to Thomas' place or talk to his dad?"

"Yes," said Ryo. "But I can't tell you what it is. Just do as I say on that one, B. This is really serious."

"Is he dangerous or something?"

"Whadda YOU think, Biks?" That was Dee. "You got a pretty good danger sense."

"I think the guy's not one hundred percent normal. I only met him one time, but he creeped me out. He really does whale on Tom. Or did, anyway. I don't know about now. Tom told Eddie that. And then he told me and Jim. Then he told you guys the night you practically arrested him at McDonalds. But then, a couple days later...I don't know what the hell happened, but it seemed like he backed out on everything and went back home with his dad."

"Yeah. That happens sometimes with people who are being abused," Dee said. "If we'd had any proof, we could have removed him from his parents' home anyway, no matter what he said. But that cell phone video he was talking about never did surface. And whatever marks his father left on him had faded while he was hiding out with Eddie."

There was silence from the back seat for a block or two. Then Bikky leaned forward again. "Is Tom's dad a dirty cop or something?"

Ryo recoiled in shock and stared at Dee. Dee gave Bikky a piercing look in the rear view mirror, before pulling the car over to the curb and throwing it into park. He twisted around in his seat to face the boy.

"What you got, punk?"

"How about a brain?" Bikky folded his arms and leaned back in the seat, one foot propped up on the back of Ryo's chair. "You guys think no one can put two and two together 'cept you?"

"Bikky, how did you -?" Ryo was cursing himself. He and Dee must have discussed the case in Bikky's hearing at some point. They would have to be more careful in the future.

"I'm kind of in the middle of it, don'tcha think? I brought you Tom AND Eddie. Tom's dad was involved with Eddie. He told us all that, remember? At first I thought it was just because Eddie was some kind of informant and also because he was looking out for Tom. But later when I heard Eddie talking to you on the phone and I heard that he was scared of someone called 'Mike' who was somehow the cause of Tamara's OD, I remembered Tony sayin' that Eddie was dealing for another guy too. All he could tell me was that it wasn't someone from the 'hood. Then suddenly, Eddie gets murdered because he kept phone records, and maybe other records too. Yet, next thing I know, it's me and Carol who are being pretty well treated like murderers! But Detective Greenspin is going on about how that person, that killer, knew about eBay and everything. So, anyway, today I asked Thomas what his dad's first name was. He told me. It's 'Mike.' Now, I know there are a lotta Mikes in the world, but how many of them are scary dudes who were involved with Eddie?" Bikky looked back and forth from Ryo to Dee. "Am I onto something here, or am I way off base?" He tried not to grin. He knew he had already nailed it by their shocked reactions to his question about Tom's dad being dirty.

Dee looked at Ryo, eyebrows raised. "He's technically your kid, bro. This question's all yours."

Ryo sighed and looked unhappy. "You're not way off base, B."

"You're a pretty smart kid, actually," put in Dee.

"When did you figure all this out?" asked Ryo.

"Well, I wasn't really interested until me and Carol had to go to the station and give statements. After that asshole guy tried to blame Carol and me for Eddie's death, we got a whole lot more interested in what was really going on. So we put our heads together."

"Does Carol know about Tom's dad, too?" Ryo looked alarmed.

"Don't worry, Ryo. We know how to keep our mouths shut and act stupid. Don't wanna end up like Eddie, you know."

"Oh my God." Ryo shook his head, his unseeing eyes looking out beyond where his hands were clutching the dashboard. "Don't even THINK that."

Bikky glanced at Dee in mute appeal for help in correcting his mistake. He had lived with high levels of danger all his life until Ryo had come along, but Ryo wasn't really able to comprehend that. Now his foster-dad was all stressed out and Bikky knew he would need Dee to calm him down. The last thing he wanted was for Ryo to pack him off somewhere totally uncool and Carol-less right at the beginning of the summer.

Dee's eyes, still sharp, met Bikky's for a moment of perfect understanding. Together they turned their attention to Ryo.

"Ryo, to be honest, I don't know what Abernathy's capable of, but I don't think Bikky's at any risk from him right now. If he thought Bikky was a real danger to him, he never would've called Tina."

Bikky wasn't sure what that was about, but he filed it away for later. Right now, however, he had to add his own two cents. "If anything was gonna happen to me, I'd be best off here, on my own turf, where I know the lay of the land, and I got contacts to help me out."

"Eddie said something very similar when I offered him police protection!"

"You offered to take him into protective _custody_!" Bikky corrected loudly. "He was fuckin' right to say no! You got any idea how many guys have fuckin' DIED in 'protective custody'?"

"Not as many as they tell you on the street," snapped Ryo, "and don't you use that language with me, young man. You don't get a free pass to start throwing the 'F'-word around just because you went to a funeral today."

Bikky slumped down a little lower in his seat. "Sorry, Ryo. I just don't want you to send me away. I feel safest near you and Dee."

Ryo looked at him thoughtfully. "I don't want to send you away, B. It might take us a long time to... to resolve the source of the danger, if there is any, and I don't want to disrupt your education. Plus, I'd really miss you."

"Ditto."

"Even though Dee is probably right that you're not at any risk right now, I need to think about this a little more," Ryo continued. "And if the level of risk changes, I reserve the right to send you somewhere safe."

"I'm safest on my home ground," protested Bikky.

"It's my responsibility to make that decision, Bikky." Ryo gave him a look that brooked no argument, then turned toward his partner. "Dee, let's be on our way. Don't forget we've got a two-thirty meeting today. And I'm sure Bikky here is wanting to get back to school." He cast a little grin at the boy in the back seat.

"Oh yeah, big time," said Bikky caustically.

But just as Dee pulled out, Ryo's cell phone rang. It was the Chief, ordering them back to the station.

"Boys, make sure you get your butts back here for two o'clock," he growled. "We're having a big debriefing with guests from the 51st and 62nd Precincts. I got the FDNY's preliminary report thirty minutes ago, so you don't have to visit the scene of the fire today."

"Will do, Chief." Ryo hung up and informed Dee of the change in plans.

Bikky was not only disappointed about not getting to go to the Navy Yard, but more than a little alarmed at the thought of having to face his English teacher after all.

"Hey, Ryo," he said. "Do we got time for lunch? I'm hungry." As he had expected, his cause was immediately championed by Dork-head.

"Yeah, let's get some FOOD. Breakfast was a helluva long time ago."

" 'Do we _have_ time', Bikky," said Ryo. "You know better than to speak like that. Maybe I should have a word with Mrs. Chambers, your English teacher."

Bikky's face fell. Crap! There was Ryo being all psychic again. He hated it when his foster-dad did that. "Uh, not necessary, Ryo. Sorry! I only said that to yank your chain. And also because I'm weak with hunger. Can we please go eat?"

"Yeah, why not?" Ryo responded. We've got time now." Then he sighed because Bikky and Dee, after emitting a united cheer, immediately fell to quarreling about which restaurant to go to.

&X&X&X&X&X&X&

Having dropped Bikky off, Dee and Ryo strolled into the 27th Precinct with fifteen minutes to spare before the meeting. Ryo wanted to check his messages, so Dee went into the CI room to find out about Drake's date with Annette.

The first thing he saw was Detective Mitchell, the looker from the 62nd, leaning over JJ's desk, where he appeared to be receiving fashion advice about ties. His partner, Detective Palmer, was looking at a computer screen with Marty, while a harassed-looking Drake was loudly opening and slamming file drawers in an apparent search for something.

"Been dumped already?" Dee asked him, swaggering over to his co-worker's desk.

"In this case, I wish." Drake sighed glumly.

"Did the date suck?"

"I wish that too! No sucking allowed, it being a sin and all. It turns out she's a devout Christian, though you'd never guess that from all the cleavage and sexy talk."

"Fuck, man. Sounds like you didn't get any. Tell me the story quick, before the badger gets here."

Drake was only too willing. He had already complained to Ted, but he knew Dee would find a way to make him laugh about it.

Drake was heartily regretting that he had ever gone out with Annette. She had teased him dreadfully all night and then finally refused to do anything with him, even vetoing a good-night kiss until the second date. She said she was saving herself for marriage.

" 'Mother always told me that if a man can have the milk for free, he's certainly not going to buy the cow,' " Drake quoted in a falsetto tone.

"You just keep those cow metaphors coming, sister," muttered JJ, who, despite the pleasantly distracting presence of Detective Mitchell, or 'Bill', as he'd insisted on being called, had one ear trained on the conversation between Drake and Dee.

"What was that, JJ?" Bill was claiming his attention again.

"Nothing, nothing," he said airily. "I was just remembering a particularly hideous cow-print tie...Oh, hey, I think your partner wants to show you something." He directed Bill's attention to Detective Palmer, who was beckoning to him.

"You gonna date her again?" Dee was asking.

"I don't know... well, yeah, maybe," Drake replied, and then confessed in an undertone that he thought he thought he might be able to talk her into a 'titty-fuck'. "Surely she won't go to hell for that. And she can keep her virginity for the guy she marries, who sure as hell ain't gonna be me."

"Drake, you dog," said Dee, shaking his head. "You're better off out of it. This one has 'high-maintenance' tattooed across her ass."

"Considering the size of that ass, I'm sure the tattoo parlor had to send out for more ink halfway through," said JJ cattily, as he walked past with his nose in the air.

Drake blushed guiltily. He hoped JJ hadn't heard him talking about the hoped-for titty fuck. But before he could say anything else, the Chief appeared with a several guests, including the two TARU techs from the mission the night before, and Detective Andrea Fowler, the late Ned Shaver's partner. Ryo gave her a little wave as the Chief ordered everyone over to the white board.

All the members of the CI department were there, except for Sheldon, who was on third shift and Eliza, who had a day off. The Chief surveyed them all with his hands on his hips and the ever present unlit cigar clamped between his teeth. "If you jokers are done with the gossip and fashion advice for the time being, perhaps we can get this meeting underway," he said. Certain eyes immediately looked away from his, and throats were cleared.

"Let's do it, Chief," said Marty. "I heard you found out what caused the explosions. If it hadn't been for them, I think Shaver could have survived the shooting until back-up got there."

"Yeah," said Ted. "What the hell was in that warehouse?"

-end of Chapter 38-

To my readers: Sorry for the big wait. I got stuck, you see. I drone on about it on my LJ in the post before Chapter 39, if you want to go there and read about why etc. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me.


	39. Chapter 39

Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)

By Brit Columbia

_Chapter 39_

_Fandom:_ Fake

_Pairing:_ Dee/ Ryo

_Rating:_ Worksafe. There's always swearing, however.

_Spoilers:_ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary_: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Detective Shaver is mine however, along with Detectives Mitchell, Palmer, Chang, Austen, Fowler and Greenspan. Captain Pete Dory is also mine, along with Lieutenant Guerrero. I have not based these characters on any living person.

_Author's notes:_ I do apologize for the long wait. I was stuck for a while on my desire to make this story shorter, but it didn't want to be shorter. It wants to be long and it won't let me write it any other way. Now that I've surrendered to its bigness, it's flowing again.

_Thank you_ to Mtemplar , Moontatoo and LadyFeather. I'm very lucky to have assembled such a crack team of betas!

Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)

_Chapter 39_

"What the hell was in that warehouse?" Ted asked the Chief.

"Building supplies, mostly. Lumber, plus a few other things. We'll get to that in a minute, O'Neill." The Chief gave him a nod before sweeping his eyes over the rest of the group. "First I wanna address the fact that we lost a fellow officer last night. Detective Ned Shaver of the 51st appears to have met his end while on deep cover duty for the NYPD. It was a risky assignment, but he volunteered for it, and unfortunately, it ended up costing him his life. This is just another reminder of the danger that we all face out there, every day. You guys should thank your lucky stars that it wasn't you who bought it last night. It could be you next time - any of us, in fact. There's gonna be a big media-friendly NYPD funeral for him on Sunday. Attendance is mandatory for all you guys, dress blues, please."

Heads nodded all through the room. Of course they would attend the funeral of one of their own.

The Chief continued. "This is his partner, Detective Andrea Fowler, and she's gonna say a few words about him later. So before we go any further, let's have a moment of silence for Detective Shaver."

They bowed their heads soberly. Detective Palmer seemed especially upset, pinching angrily at the inside corners of his eyes. Dee glanced at the handsome, bearded man, wondering if he had perhaps been friends with Shaver. He couldn't quite see it, as Shaver had been quite the loner, and none too gifted in the social skills department, either.

"Okay, let's move on to business," said the Chief. First he acquainted everyone who had not been present at the Navy Yard last night with a brief outline of the night's operation, and commended Ryo, as lead detective, for doing such a good job with the management of it. Then he made introductions. A tall, impressively-built man seated on his left was Chief Fire Officer Pete Dory, who was there to give them the preliminary results of his arson investigator's findings, while Lieutenant Flor Guerrero of the bomb squad was there to talk about the explosions.

At the mention of the word 'bomb', the members of the CI team exchanged surprised glances. It had always been a possibility of course, but most of them had been leaning towards the theory that the warehouse had contained highly explosive materials.

The Chief started sketching the layout of the warehouse and the streets around it on the white board with a dry erase pen. "The two surveillance units commanded by Detective MacLean and Detective Palmer observed the arrival of eight luxury vehicles transporting prominent members of Corporate America and The Stone Blood Boys, two gangs that operate out of the Bronx and Brooklyn respectively. The vehicles all drove inside the warehouse through these bay doors here between 11:15 and 11:45 PM and parked in this area here." He drew a red circle in the top half of his warehouse drawing. "Shortly before midnight, Detective Shaver arrived, and also drove inside. The two leaders, Frank Rizzo and Essien Ibo commenced talking business, and a quantity of cash exchanged hands. We know this much because we got it on tape. With me so far?"

James raised his hand. "Do we know the positions of the men inside? Like, approximately where the detective was standing?"

The Chief shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We had sound inside only, not cameras. Anyhow, to continue, at exactly 12:21 AM, the cameras on this van picked up a scout from the Dyre Street Devils taking out the two sentries on the Northeast side of the building. We still don't know how he got so close without being detected. He may have walked, but as I recall, there was also some mention of a bicycle." He glanced at Ryo, receiving an affirmative nod, before continuing. "But once the sentries were down, he signaled to his buddies and it was at this point that the rest of the gang arrived. Camera footage shows two vehicles and six motorcycles transporting a total of 22 armed men. They went in shooting, and according to the tapes, caught the Stone Bloods and CA by surprise."

"I don't know how Ibo let that happen," Marty remarked. "He's usually much more efficient than that."

"Well, if we're lucky, we might be able to ask him later today," said the Chief. "He was in surgery until six AM, but apparently he came through okay. The only thing that might get in the way of an interview is if they're keeping him sedated on account of his burns. The doctors will let us know when he's able to talk." He went on to describe the nature of Essien Ibo's injuries. According to the hospital, Ibo had been admitted with a bullet in his lung and bad burns to his lower legs.

JJ was shaking his head as he listened. "The only reason he's not dead is 'cause he was wearing a vest. I saw him when they loaded him into the ambulance. It looked like he was shot at close range. Must've been hell in there."

"What about the explosion, Chief?" asked Ryo.

"Yeah, the explosion. That's what made this different from your ordinary run-of-the-mill gang shootout, and what made the fire burn so hot and so fast. I'll let Lieutenant Guerrero explain what we've pieced together there."

Lieutenant Guerrero, a lean and tough looking woman of about fifty, stood up and addressed the group. "Hello people," she said, a slight Spanish accent apparent in her voice. "I gotta make this quick because there is another place I have to be in about one hour. Stop me if I get too technical, okay?"

She turned to the white board and indicated where the cars had been parked inside the warehouse. "The explosion originated from one of the cars. We do not at present know whose car because we haven't found evidence of the VIN number of that particular vehicle in the debris yet. You can probably imagine how torn apart it was! As far as we have been able to determine, most of the other vehicles either have one of their VIN numbers still readable, or the match-up is easy because, although burnt out and twisted, the car type is still identifiable."

"So it was a car bomb?" asked Ryo. "What kind?"

"The signature of the bomb indicates ANFO, although we're still not clear on precisely how detonation was achieved. However, we have a couple of theories...yes?" She pointed to James, who had his hand up.

"Uh...What's ANFO?" he asked, looking around in hopes that he was not the only person in the room who didn't know.

"Rookie," muttered Detective Palmer, but Lieutenant Guerrero looked at James sympathetically. She had a son about his age. They even looked a little alike, although this young detective was clearly Asian.

"Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil," she said kindly. "You know, like was used in the Oklahoma bombing?"

"Don't mind him," said Dee, kicking James' chair. "He snoozed all through the Academy and only woke up for exams. Right, dude?" Assorted snickers met this comment.

James scowled at him and surreptitiously gave him the finger.

"We believe it was ordinary garden fertilizer,' said Lieutenant Guerrero, "accompanied by an HPD for the accelerant, most likely diesel. As I was saying, detonation is not always easy to achieve with a bomb of that type. We're assuming some kind of blasting cap or perhaps even dynamite was used, although there would have had to be a fuse, which may or may not have been noticeable. When the car blew, its gas tank went with it, and the secondary explosions were caused by the gas tanks in the other vehicles going up as well. Evidence points to the detonation of only one ANFO bomb."

"So somebody wanted to blow them all up - Stone Bloods and CA alike," said James. "Could it have been the Devils?"

"I doubt it, since they got caught in the blast, too." It was Ryo who answered. "Um, Chief, do we have a casualty list?"

"We're working on it, Randy. DNA evidence is gonna be hard to get, since most of the bodies are just charred bones. We got guys on the street questioning the friends and families of known gang members so we can put together a list of who didn't come home last night. As you probably noticed, it was too dark for the surveillance cameras to pick up faces."

"Is it absolutely certain that Detective Shaver is dead? I mean, do we have proof?" asked Detective Palmer. "My kid goes to school with his kid. They're the same age."

Captain Dory, the fire chief, spoke up. "We found the plates of the dragon vest he was allegedly wearing resting between the ribs of a very blackened set of human remains. DNA identification may not be possible, but circumstantial evidence points to it being him."

"There was a partially-melted weapon next to the remains," added the Chief. "We're having it analyzed."

"I have a question," said Drake. "What's this gonna do to the gang scene? I mean, it seems as if the Stone Bloods have been wiped out, and I know CA was bigger so there's still a lot of them out there on the streets, but Frank Rizzo is now gone, so they don't have a leader. And if there were 22 casualties for the Devils, then it looks like they've lost half their members."

"A third," corrected the Chief. "And that's a very good question, Parker." He turned his attention to all his detectives. "Expect some overtime, boys. There's gonna be a war out there as the smaller gangs start trying to take over territory they think is up for grabs. What's left of CA and the Devils are gonna be fighting for their lives."

A groan went up at the dreaded word 'overtime'. After that, the meeting continued for another half hour. First, Andrea talked briefly about her work with Ned, and then the Chief mentioned that there had been a sighting of a potential survivor to the fire who had allegedly left the Navy Yard by bicycle, and everything possible was being done to find him. Captain Dory, when it was his turn to speak, explained the path of the fire, and during his talk, JJ sat up straighter and asked lots of questions, which seemed to piss off Detective Mitchell. Dee, who had been keeping an eye on 'Bill' just in case he started in on Ryo again, noticed the man's disappointment and couldn't help grinning. So the salami-hunter was working on JJ now. As long as it wasn't Ryo, he didn't care. A few more questions were asked and answered, and the meeting was adjourned.

"The revised shift schedule will go up tomorrow morning," the Chief told them. "Make sure you check it. Back to work, everyone."

"Hey Chief, me and Ryo are off tomorrow, and Ryo's been working almost two weeks straight. Do we have to come in?"

"Nope," answered the Chief. "Anyone who's off tomorrow stays off. But Saturday is a different story. Call in tomorrow sometime to pick up your shifts. Oh, and that reminds me, I want to see you two in my office in ten minutes."

"We'll be there, Chief," said Ryo, trying hard not to look at Dee, who seemed to be trying equally hard to catch his eye. He knew what his partner was thinking. Tomorrow was Friday. Dee's stitches would be coming out in the morning, and after that, they had a sex date.

"Hey, don't feel bad, buddy," Ted was saying to James. "It used to be me who asked all the stupid questions. I, for one, am glad that you're here to help carry the load."

"Ah, shut up, Ted."

"Come on now, don't be like that! At least you're dating a hot-looking woman. What's her name again?"

"Bridget," said James, cheering up slightly. "She works in a kitchen shop. We're going to a movie tonight."

"How's that working out?" Dee asked.

"Great, man, thanks for setting us up!"

"Hey, it was the least I could do, considering she came by here looking for Ryo." Dee dropped his voice on the last three words. "It's a damn good thing she was willing to settle for you, instead. So, is this the second date or the third?"

"Second," said James.

"Aw, no nooky for you tonight," teased Ted. "But maybe on the weekend...that is, if you're not working OT."

"Damn! Knowing my luck, I probably am."

Dee looked around for Ryo and saw JJ standing between Captain Dory and Detective Mitchell, looking like he couldn't believe his luck. The two men were glaring at each other above JJ's white-blond head. Dee was pretty sure that JJ's suddenly enhanced dating options would take his mind off pouncing on his old buddy, 'Dee-sempai' for a few days. Drake was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had gone looking for Annette.

He found Ryo in their shared office, where his partner was, as usual, stuffing files into his briefcase. There was no one like Ryo in the whole department for bringing work home.

"What now, bro?"

"Meeting with the Chief, remember? He probably wants to talk about Abernathy. Did you notice how he didn't bring up the mole we have here at the station?"

"Yeah. Maybe he's got some info. I hope this doesn't take too long. We're off in -" Dee held up his right wrist and looked at his watch " - twenty minutes."

"Oh no, we're not," Ryo corrected. "We went to a funeral during working hours. We've got to make up those hours before we go home today."

"What? This was supposed to be your day off, dumbass. What the hell are you talking about? Not to mention that you worked almost twenty four hours straight yesterday. And I'm... I'm an injured man! I really think we fucking deserve to go home and rest."

"I'd really like a shot at questioning Essien Ibo."

"The docs probably won't allow it so soon after surgery,' Dee said dismissively, hoping that he was right. "You heard the Chief. The guy took a bullet in the lung, for God's sake! Plus, he's got some pretty bad burns, and I betcha he inhaled a helluva lot of smoke. He probably couldn't talk even if he wanted to, which I doubt."

"We'll see," said Ryo. "And no, you don't have time for a smoke. Let's go."

"What? How did you...?"

"It's not that I'm a mind reader, you know. It's more that you're so predictable." Ryo led the way down the hall.

"Me? Predictable? No way, dude. I'm the spontaneous one, remember?" Dee hurried after Ryo, protesting all the way.

&-&-&-&

When Dee and Ryo arrived at the Chief's office, they saw he was standing outside it, exchanging what looked like good-byes with Detective Fowler and Lieutenant Guerrerro.

Ryo hurried over to catch Detective Fowler before she left. "Andrea!" he said. "I wanted to say good-bye, but you'd already gone. I'm sorry about your partner. I know he wasn't the easiest guy in the world to work with...but this has got to be really distressing for you."

She turned doleful brown eyes on him. "Oh I'm not leaving yet, Randy. I wanted to talk to you, anyway. It's sweet of you to be concerned, but I'm not all broken up about losing Ned as a partner. I've got mixed feelings, actually."

He nodded. "I understand. You guys weren't very close."

"Well, no. You were aware of my situation. I knew he was doing some undercover gang work, but the guy was so determined to keep me shut out of everything that I had no idea what the details were. He came out on calls with me for some of my own cases once in a blue moon, and had the nerve to act like he was doing me a huge favor, too. But, really, working with him was an awful lot like working alone." She sighed and lifted one lanky arm in a gesture of futility. "I tried everything I could to get him to open up about his cases, but it was like talking to a wall. A wall that saw me as some kind of part-time secretary, at that! Now, the lieutenant is expecting ME to fill him in on what Ned was up to, can you believe it? You and your partner probably have a better idea about that than I do."

"Well, not really," Ryo hedged. "He got together with Dee a couple of times before his death, but they didn't know each other all that well." He wasn't sure about how much of the truth to tell Andrea. It wasn't good form to besmirch the reputation of an LEO who had just been killed in the line of duty, and as for unsavory allegations about the man's conduct...well, there wasn't exactly a lot of proof. Plus, Ned Shaver's life and troubles had been inextricably bound up with Lieutenant Michael Abernathy's, and the 'bad lieutenant' was still very much alive.

Andrea glanced over at where Dee could be seen shaking hands with Lieutenant Guerrero. "That's the thing that surprised me the most," she remarked. "Dee and Ned becoming friendly like that. I could've sworn they hated each other that first time they met."

"I think they subsequently found they had one or two things in common," said Ryo, "although I wouldn't say they actually became friendly."

"Well, it's the only explanation I can come up with to explain to my lieutenant why Ned would have done undercover work with teams from the 27th and the 62nd without breathing a word of it to his partner. He didn't even clear it properly with the lieutenant, either. Just left him a voice mail about what he was up to last night. Next thing we know he's dead. Captain McCormick wants answers from Lieutenant Simmonds, Lieutenant Simmonds wants them from me, I don't have 'em, so here I am."

'Well, it's my understanding that Detective Shaver had to let my partner in on what he was doing because of some unexpected interaction with the Stone Bloods that happened when they were together last Monday," Ryo said, feeling he ought to at least give her something.

"Monday? Ned called in sick on that day."

"I know. Do you recall that Dee phoned you to get his home address?"

"Yeah, I remember now," she said thoughtfully. "Your partner was halfway respectful for once. And he told me he'd been shot."

"That's true. He was shot last Friday night, but it was only a flesh wound. He was very lucky," Ryo said, glancing over at Dee, who looked up at that moment.

"Hey, are you guys talking about me?" he called out.

"Yeah, like we've got nothing else to talk about," retorted Andrea, but relented a moment later. "As a matter of fact, we were. How's your gunshot injury?"

"Stitches come out tomorrow," Dee answered, his eyes flickering mischievously toward Ryo for a moment. "But it itches like hell." He rubbed carefully at the spot on his left side where he had been nicked by a bullet.

"Detective Fowler," said the Chief. "I'm sorry, but I need to have a meeting with these two slackers right now, so I'm gonna have to take them away. But if you want to talk about your partner with them, you can either stick around for fifteen minutes or call 'em later."

"Thanks, Lieutenant. If it's all the same to you, I'll stick around. I'll be in the reception area, boys."

"I'm on my way out," said Lieutenant Guerrero, smiling up at Andrea. "I'll walk with you." She took one last look at Detective Laytner, heartthrob extraordinaire. She had a son like the boy upstairs, but she'd once had a lover like that man behind her in the hall. Ay Caramba, what a lover - what a man he had been! Unfortunately, she'd lost him to a young helicopter mechanic: another male. They were still together to this day, last she had heard. Men were such mysteries. Who could ever know what they really wanted?

Dee flashed a grin at both women, and Ryo gave Andrea a little wave before they followed the Chief into his office. The Chief, who went in last, had to stand aside to let two guys wearing coveralls that said 'Al's Extermination' on their backs come out with their equipment. One of them nodded to the Chief and said, "All clear."

Ryo shuddered. He hoped the building wasn't infested with insects or rodents. The 51st Precinct, where they had been guests for about a year after John Hale had blown up the original 27th, had been terrible for cockroaches. During their time there, Ryo had always been worried that a pregnant cockroach would jump into his briefcase and catch a ride back to his apartment with him.

"What is it, Chief? Please tell me it's not roaches," he said.

The Chief closed the door and walked over to his desk, saying, "No, Randy. Nothing like that. Have a seat, boys, and pull your chairs up close to my desk."

Ryo and Dee glanced at each other and did so.

The Chief leaned forward and spoke in a voice that was only half of its usual volume. "They're checking the building for bugs of the electronic kind, but keep that under your hats. The Commissioner was sufficiently concerned to learn about the spy we have amongst our ranks that he okayed the sweep, even though it's not in the budget."

"Do we have a reason to believe that Abernathy's getting his information from a bug and not a person?" asked Ryo.

"We don't know," replied the Chief. "Could be either, could be both. We're having it checked from both sides."

"Does that mean the staff records of anyone who's been investigated by IA are being looked at, too?" Ryo leaned forward, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact they are," confirmed the Chief. "When I informed Captain Forsythe and the Commissioner about the situation, it was the Commissioner who insisted we get on it right away. He ordered a list of every member of the NYPD who has been investigated by IA within the last three years. When it arrives, Helen is going to cross-reference the list against our current roster of staff. She's been told it's a priority."

"I guess he must have one or two things to hide if he's this gung-ho to catch the mole," remarked Dee.

"Knock it off, Dee. Now about --"

"Chief, sorry to interrupt you," said Ryo, "but regarding that list, could you ask Helen to also cross-reference the names of any other NYPD members who were just visiting here on Tuesday? She can get them from the front desk sign-in sheet. I think we also have to consider the possibility that Abernathy does not in fact have a spy permanently posted at the 27th."

"Good point, Randy." The Chief made a note on a lined pad on his desk. "Now about your contact, that Greenspan woman from the 99th. The Commissioner wants you to work with her, since Abernathy seems to be interested in using her to get to you through your son."

"I'd already decided to do that, anyway," Ryo said. "She's not very experienced, though, and I want it made clear that if the Queens police decide to question my son any further, both myself and his lawyer must present."

"Absolutely," the Chief said. "That's a given, considering what happened the other day. But I think you'll find that Detective Greenspan's fully on board."

"Whaddaya mean?" asked Dee slowly, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"The Commissioner made arrangements to meet with her," the Chief said, neutrality uppermost in his voice and manner. "He told me he wanted her to understand what's at stake."

"Do we have to be at that meeting?" Dee folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"Perhaps we should be," said Ryo, frowning slightly. Was the Commissioner planning on telling her everything? "I hope this meeting isn't going to take place until after she's been eliminated from Helen's list of possible suspects."

"Randy, she was the one who gave YOU the info about Abernathy."

"Yeah, but for all we know, she might be feeding us information on Abernathy's orders, instead of her own volition. She should be cleared before she gets brought into this."

"Hmph." The Chief looked at his watch. "It may be too late for that. She's with the Commissioner now."

Ryo said, "Maybe we should go upstairs and see if we can join them, then."

"Don't bother," said the Chief. "They're not in the building. He said he was taking her out because it's not secure here."

"O-o-okay, then," said Dee, looking at Ryo with raised eyebrows. Ryo looked back at him and shrugged. If the Commissioner was discussing the case with her, there was nothing they could do about that.

"Suck it up, boys. You've lost both your main witnesses, Calvetti and Shaver. Detective Greenspan is your last remaining connection to Lieutenant Abernathy, unless you manage to pull off some miracle of police work in the next little while and find yourselves another one. Work with her, even if you don't trust her. I don't see as how you got any choice, anyway."

"Well, yeah, not if the Commish is set on telling her everything." Dee's tone was sarcastic.

The Chief, apart from shooting him a glare from under heavy brows, ignored him, and addressed Ryo. "What are your plans for the investigation of Lieutenant Abernathy now that Shaver's gone?"

"Well, so much has happened since yesterday afternoon, that we haven't really had time to shift gears," Ryo said. "But Dee and I could probably go over some strategies together this evening."

"Good, do that." The Chief tapped the desk with one powerful hand. "I think we'll keep the details about Abernathy a secret from the other guys on the team for now. It's not that I don't trust them, it's more that until this whole 'mole' issue is resolved, I don't want multiple conversations about that case taking place all over the building where they could be overheard."

"That makes sense," said Ryo, nodding blandly, but Dee wasn't fooled. He knew Ryo really didn't want to share this particular case.

"Randy, I just wanna let you know that I really appreciated your taking the time to send me an email first thing this morning about everything that happened last night. I wouldn't have expected that after the hellishly long day you had yesterday."

Ryo colored faintly. "You're welcome, Chief. I'll get you a proper report done later today."

"That would be great. Now let's just get back to Abernathy for a minute. What I find really interesting is that the lieutenant was actually at the scene last night. What the hell was he up to? And what's this shit about him leaving his partner injured at the scene?"

"Well, he said he was there because he was having second thoughts about his investigation of Detective Shaver last January. He claimed he had been tailing Shaver. But, as you may remember, Shaver told us that Abernathy had recently started a new partnership with the Dyre Street Devils, so he may have been there for them, too. As for leaving his partner down, he claimed not to know what had happened to Detective Collins. He said he observed a survivor leaving the fire scene on a bicycle, and he gave chase, but didn't succeed in catching up to him."

"Ah, so it was Mike who saw the cyclist. I take it he was the only one who did?"

Ryo nodded. "If anyone else did, they haven't come forward yet."

"Do you think the bicycle story was BS?"

"Actually, no. As soon as he said the word 'bicycle', I sent JJ over to where Detective Shaver had initially stopped to toss objects out of his car before entering the warehouse. One of the objects had been a kid's bike; you'll see it on the tapes. JJ came back and reported that there was no longer any bike there."

"Hmmm. So somebody other than Ibo may have gotten out alive."

"We don't know if the guy on the bike actually came from the warehouse, though," Dee put in. "It might have been a guy that was stationed outside all along. Or even someone who had nothing to do with any of this."

"That cyclist show up on any of the tapes?"

"Not on ours," said Ryo. "The guys under Detective Palmer's command in the other vehicle might have seen something, though. We have yet to exchange reports, but they promised to send us something today. The video footage is going to be analyzed at The Real Time Crime Center later. If the cyclist passed within range of one of the cameras, we may get a look at him. However, it was pretty dark at the Navy yard, so I'm not too hopeful."

"I was at the RTCC earlier, taking a quick look at those tapes, and you're right about them being dark," the Chief said. "Why the hell was that? I thought the Navy Yard maintained fairly good streetlights down there."

"The place was well-enough lit when we got there, but the Stone Bloods shot several of the lights out when they arrived after us. I think you'll find our footage isn't very good for that reason."

"Bastards. Oh well, I'd probably do the same thing if I was them. So how did Abernathy seem to you? Same as ever? Rattled? Did you actually talk to him?"

"Oh yes, I talked to him all right," Ryo said. "I was the one who called him on his cell phone to ask him if he was planning on coming back. We didn't know he had even been at the Navy Yard until Detective Collins told us who had brought him there. And yeah, Lieutenant Abernathy was -" Ryo paused thoughtfully - "definitely rattled. Defensive. The site commanders all had something to say about how he'd abandoned his partner at a crime scene as dangerous as that one. Even the firefighters were shocked by that. Of course, the fact that he's from Internal Affairs didn't help matters any. Those guys are usually not at the top of the popularity polls."

"You said he was gone for forty minutes."

"At least. A pretty long time to chase after a guy on a bike. There was a lot more to it, of course, but we knew he wasn't going to tell us what."

"Anything else you can remember?"

"Yeah," said Ryo. "He had what looked like some small bloodstains on his right shirt cuff. I mean, it could have been ketchup, but it sure looked like blood."

"Hmm. Maybe he actually did catch that cyclist, then."

"It's possible."

"Okay, well that's all we got for now. We just gotta wait for the reports to come back. Who's analyzing the footage?"

"I asked JJ and Marty to do it," Ryo said. "JJ said he'd book a station at the RTCC."

"If they're going back there later, I'm pretty sure Detective Mitchell will volunteer to help them out," added Dee with a knowing smirk.

"Good," grunted the Chief. "If there are three of them on it, we might get it back sooner."

"Chief, who's going to interview Ibo?" Ryo asked, ignoring Dee's sudden scowl.

"I thought Marty would be the best guy, since he's the one who knows the gangs. How come? You wanna tag along?"

"Yeah. Ibo's the only guy who can tell us what really went down in there."

"What does it matter at this point? Shaver's dead, and no more help to you. You guys need to get back to your investigation of Abernathy. If you're gonna talk to gang members, it oughtta be Devils, as far as I'm concerned."

Ryo hesitated, looking disappointed. The look on his face caused Dee to speak up, even though it was contrary to his hopes for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

"Chief, Ibo might know something about Abernathy. That day I nearly got my head blown off in Shaver's bathroom, Shaver told me that Ibo was pissed that Abernathy owned a piece of him. Ibo apparently knew all about how his rivals, the Devils, were getting help from Abernathy. The guy's on the ball, according to Marty. He might be able to give us a new lead or a couple of names."

"All right, then. I personally think he's gonna tell you squat, but I suppose it's worth a try. Let Marty know that I okayed it. And don't mention Mike's name while Marty's in the room, you got that?"

"Chief, come on," said Dee. "Give us a little credit, here." He gave Ryo a look that said, _Happy now_? Ryo tried not to glance his way, but he seemed to be pleased.

"I'll give credit when that dirty sonofabitch is in custody, and not a moment before," retorted the Chief. "You guys got anything else to say? No? Out, then. Don't forget to type up last night's report before you leave today, Randy."

"Don't worry, Chief. I'll do it ASAP." Ryo got up and so did Dee. "Thanks for the update."

&-&-&-&

They went to find Andrea in the lobby, and took her upstairs with them to their office.

"Thanks, boys," she said, as she sat down on the guest chair that Ryo unfolded for her. "It's good to get a chance to compare notes. Dee, Randy was saying that you were with Ned on Monday when you guys apparently ran into the Stone Bloods."

"Yeah, that's true," Dee said, glancing at Ryo, who gave him a 'be careful' kind of look. "At his apartment. He wasn't expecting them. Your partner was in rough shape because the Devils had beaten the crap outta him on account of his connection with the Stone Bloods. Ibo and a few of his guys stopped by to make sure Shaver was gonna show up at the warehouse meeting with CA. They didn't know I was there because I was hiding in the bathroom. I got the details of the meeting out of him when they left."

"I wonder why he didn't tell us about it?" Andrea frowned thoughtfully.

Dee knew he couldn't tell her that her partner had been trying to use that meeting as a bargaining chip for clemency against corruption charges. He thought quickly, and said, "He really didn't want to attend that meeting. He told me he had a bad feeling about it. I think going to the warehouse was a last minute decision. I helped him shake a couple of Devils who were after him on Wednesday, and he...ah...impulsively offered to wear a wire for us."

Andrea shook her head, her mouth a thin line. "That..._man_," she said disgustedly. "He was in over his head, wasn't he?"

"Uh, maybe."

"Why couldn't he have just reached out? Any one of us in Narcotics would have been more than willing to help him carry the load."

"You know, he felt really bad about what happened to his former partner," Dee said. "He said it was all his fault. He probably didn't want to risk the same thing happening again."

"Apart from being a bit of a male chauvinist pig, he wasn't a bad cop," Andrea remarked. "About a month ago he came out with me to check out an illegal sweatshop in Norwood. They had a few sewing machines upstairs, but the place was piled high with fireworks, hundreds of boxes, never seen anything like it. They drew on us and I thought we were done for, but Ned somehow talked them down. He reminded them that there was enough gunpowder in those fireworks to send that house into orbit if anyone started shooting in there. We didn't make a bust 'cause they all ran for the back door before back-up arrived, but we didn't get blown up either. He kept a cool head, throughout. If he hadn't been there, there might have been shooting, and I might not be sitting here now. I guess we'll never know. But it's a damn shame he had to be the big hero on this case and do every damn thing himself."

"Have you talked to his family?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah," she said, looking away, her eyes shadowed. "That was rough. You guys know how those things go."

The two men nodded grimly. They had each done their share of having to inform family members of the deaths or injuries of loved ones. It never got any easier.

"Well, at least his family will be taken care of," said Dee. "His wife will get his pension and whatever insurance money there was, right?"

"Yep, that's what they're saying. It's something at least. But his kid is inconsolable. Makes me wanna go home and hug my own, you know?"

"Do yours let you hug them?" Ryo asked with a wan smile.

"Yeah, but they're just little," she replied, smiling at him. "I know that in a few years they'll be too embarrassed to even be seen with their mom. How's your boy, Randy?"

"He just became a teenager at the end of April," Ryo replied. "Hugs are definitely fewer and further between, now."

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "They say that stage only lasts a few years. You guys'll be back to hugging when he's about 18. At least, that's what my sister says. Her kids are 19 and 20, so she should know."

"Thanks, Andrea. I'll keep that in mind over the next five hug-free years," Ryo said dryly.

"Listen, boys, I've got to be going. Anything else you can tell me about Ned?"

"Sorry," said Dee. "We really hadn't known the guy for long."

"Please convey our respects to your department," Ryo added.

"Will do." She picked up her sunglasses from Dee's desk and got up to go. At the door she paused and looked back at them. "Watch each other's backs out there, okay? A good partner is worth his weight in gold."

"Better luck with your next one," Dee said.

"Thanks. I'm gonna need it with the gangs all riled up the way they are. See you around." And she was gone, leaving the door ajar.

When he was sure she was gone, Dee leaned in close to Ryo. "If a good partner is worth his weight in gold, what's a great partner worth?"

"Get back on your own side of the office," Ryo responded, with a nervous glance at the open door. "We've got work to do."

"We do? But it's past quitting time..."

"Yes we do. I have to write a formal report about last night for the Chief, and so do you."

"Me? But I didn't even get to go! I was excluded from the mission. Why should I write a report?"

"Dee, the whole stakeout happened because you somehow talked Shaver into wearing a wire for us. Do you think the Chief won't want to know about that?"

"Can't you just add a couple of lines about that in the report that you're writing?"

"No. Write your own report. And did you ever write that apology letter to Detective Saunders for punching him in the nose? I didn't think so. You'd better get busy. I'm gonna find out what time Marty wants to question Essien Ibo." Ryo turned away from Dee's sulky face and picked up the phone.

"Shot down again," muttered Dee to himself. And after he had talked the Chief into letting them go with Marty to see Ibo, too. Scowling at the colossal ingratitude of his workaholic partner, he stomped out of their office to have a cigarette on the roof. Dammit, maybe great partners were worth their weight in reports and files, as well as gold. Even that desk-loving Sheldon didn't generate as much paperwork as Ryo did on a monthly basis.

&-&-&-&

Lieutenant Michael Abernathy swore softly. That little bitch wasn't picking up her phone. He had left her one quite courteous message asking her to call him back; he couldn't leave another without appearing too invested. After all, he didn't have anything on her like he did on most of the others. All she had said was that she would speak to her lieutenant about the package that had arrived on her desk that morning. She hadn't actually agreed to confront MacLean with it. But he knew she would.

He looked at his watch. Perhaps he should call the other bitch. She might be able to tell him if MacLean was wandering around with a worried look on his face at least. He wondered why he cared. This was just a small gesture, after all. Just a little payback for the humiliation he'd had to endure last night. After tomorrow, it wouldn't matter anymore. The trail would go cold and everyone would move on.

He dialed the number and listened as she answered in her usual professional way. He knew her voice would change and become scared the moment she realized who was calling her. Good. Let her be scared. People who were scared of losing something were more malleable than those who had given up. That had been his mistake with Shaver.

"Good afternoon, me fine colleen. A little update, if you please."

"Y-yes sir. What would you like to know?"

Still professional, yes, but that telltale little tremor gave her away. He smiled to himself.

"Has Detective Greenspan from the 99th paid our boy a visit yet today?"

"Yes, she was here earlier, but he was out, so she didn't stay," she told him.

"Is he back in the building now?"

"Yes, I believe he's in his office."

"Did Detective Greenspan happen to drop off a package for him?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Then find out, lass. Bestir yourself a little. If she left him a package, it's bound to be worrisome news for him and I doubt he'll be able to hide it. Get me some information, there's a good girl. I'll call you again in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

A half hour later, she reported that nothing appeared to have been dropped off for Detective MacLean, and that the man didn't seem any more or less worried than usual. Just tired. Abernathy told her to stay out of trouble, and hung up.

He tucked his cell phone back in his jacket pocket. Ah well. Perhaps the obliging Detective Greenspan would succeed in making contact with MacLean tomorrow. It was really too bad she had such a squeaky-clean record, that one. He would have enjoyed hearing the same note of nervousness and respect in her voice as he was able to produce in the others who answered to him. However, it was of no moment. There were plenty of others - plenty of fallen angels in the ranks of the NYPD, people who, through greed, selfishness or negligence, had done things they ought not have and were anxious that their actions not come to light.

All they needed was a little managing, most of them. He did his best not to let them see that he despised them almost as much as they despised themselves.

End of Chapter 39

Additional author's notes: The next chapter will be published in two weeks, and I mean that this time. I'm about two thirds finished Chapter 41 and Chapter 40 is already up on my LJ page. I would love to post the address for you, but FF dot Net doesn't allow links, and that's their prerogative. However, it's not hard to find. Just do a search with the words brit-columbia and livejournal, and I pop right up. October is almost here and I really have to start thinking about the next few chapters of Slave to A Gladiator…

Thank you for reading!


	40. Chapter 40

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

By Brit Columbia

_Chapter 40_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. Four letter words.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Essien Ibo, Tyrone, and Frank Rizzo, are mine however, along with Detectives Greenspan and Shaver. Lieutenant Guerrero is also mine. I have not based these characters on any living person.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. Please read and review if you like this chapter.

Thank you to Mtemplar , Moontatoo and LadyFeather

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

Chapter 40

Dee sprawled in his chair, his suit jacket on and his tie back around his neck, waiting for Ryo to get off the phone with Bikky. They had been working for the past two hours, and they had to be at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in an hour. Unfortunately, it was rush hour. He didn't think they were going to make it.

"Bikky, cream of celery is good for you," Ryo was protesting. "It's not like there are big chunks of celery in it - " There was a long pause while Bikky evidently interrupted him with a reiteration of his well-known views on the detrimental effects of vegetable soups. Dee was almost sorry he couldn't hear it. Knowing Bikky, it would probably contain convoluted but entertaining twists of logic that all hinged on some basically insupportable point.

"Well, then eat the leftover potato salad." Now Ryo's voice sounded ever so slightly defensive. Another pause. "No, you can't order pizza again! You had it last night. I want you to eat some vegetables."

Dee got up and looked out of the window where a steady stream of traffic crawled past the 27th. All those cars were full of lucky people going home to eat dinner with their loved ones and maybe watch the basketball game on TV. And where was he going? A fucking hospital in Brooklyn to question a slimebag gang leader. And to top it all off, there was no time for dinner. The only person who was likely to get any dinner was the monkey brat, who was bitching about his food options. Dee's stomach growled at the thought of Bikky's despised cream of celery soup. He banged his forehead lightly against the grimy glass of the window. Shit. And whose mouth had made this sparkling evening possible? His own, as usual.

"Fine, make a sandwich then. But put some lettuce in it, do you hear me? And no TV until after your homework is all finished! I'm serious, B. I'll be home around nine, unless something else happens. I love you, Bikky...Bikky? Hello? Hello? Crap." Ryo sighed and replaced his phone in its cradle. "Sorry, Dee. God, look at the time. Let's get going!"

"The Williamsburg Bridge is gonna be stop and go," Dee said.

"That's why we'd better take the subway. We'll come back later for your car."

"What about dinner?"

"If we hurry, we might be able to grab a hot dog on the way."

Dee brightened up at that. He liked hot dogs. So did Bikky, but Bikky wasn't getting one. He started looking forward to rubbing it in the punk's face later.

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

Essien Ibo lay on crisp white sheets, in a badly lit hospital room, his dreadlocks spread out on the pillows propped up under his head. Even burned, shot, bruised and with tubes going in and out of his body, the man still exuded a subtle aura of danger. Ryo had been dismayed to see an oxygen mask covering his mouth, because it meant he probably wouldn't be able to talk, but Marty didn't seem much put out by it. In fact, he greeted the gang leader with a brisk, but professional smile.

"Good evening, Ibo," he said, and the other man opened his bleary eyes at the sound of Marty's voice. "Congratulations on getting yourself out of that warehouse in one piece. I don't think I could have done the same in your place."

Ibo made no sound or gesture in response. It was clear that he and Marty knew each other, and that there was no love lost between them. His brown eyes slid from Marty to Dee to Ryo and finally over to where a large, light skinned black man, one of his few remaining Stone Bloods, stood on guard in the corner of the room. When Ibo's eyes returned to Marty, it was with a certain wariness in them.

"I'm sure you understand why we're here," Marty went on. "The doctor has, of course, informed us that you cannot speak at this time due to your injuries, and we certainly understand that. We'd still like to ask you a few questions though, of the yes/no variety. You can indicate 'yes' by raising your right hand and 'no' by just moving it against the sheet. If you don't know the answer, just tap your index finger against your thigh. Do you understand?"

Essien Ibo raised his right hand an inch or two and let it fall.

"Good." Marty looked satisfied. "First of all, these are my colleagues, Detectives Laytner and MacLean. They wanna ask you a few questions, too."

Ibo looked at them again, resignation written all over his face. Dee understood what the slimeball was probably thinking. The guy had to talk to the police at some point, anyway, and it might as well be at a time when he couldn't actually say anything.

"We know how many guys you took with you to the meeting last night because we were watching you," said Marty.

Dee and Ryo had been hoping for a look of surprise, or another kind of reaction, but Essien Ibo's face and body remained still and impassive. A monitor on the wall behind him beeped steadily away.

"What we don't know is who. We'll start with a casualty list," said Marty. "Did anyone else make it out, besides you?"

Ibo's hand moved feebly against the sheet. _No._

"Okay, I'm gonna go through a list of names of guys we think died in the fire, and you give me the yes or the no signal for each one as I say it, okay?"

Ibo indicated _yes_ with his hand.

"Good. Let's start with Kenny Vargas, AKA 'the Rocket'. Was he with you?"

One by one, Marty read names and Ibo indicated whether they had been with him the night before or not. Then Marty proceeded to a list of known members of Corporate America, and did the same thing, and once again Essien Ibo answered with his hand, his eyes closed.

The young man in the corner, clearly a bodyguard, began to get slightly agitated. Everybody ignored him.

"Were you and Frank Rizzo about to start working together?" Marty's question was simple and direct. Ibo indicated that he didn't know.

"I wanna know who your pick is for Frank Rizzo's replacement. I don't think it's gonna be Reggie because although he's got the balls, the men don't trust him." Ibo appeared to concur, so Marty continued. "Battista has a good shot, so does Nick Contadino. But I think it's gonna be de Luca."

"'Nuff," growled a young voice from the corner. "He need to rest now. You come back tomorrow."

"Fuck off, Tyrone," said Marty without even bothering to look at him. He addressed Ibo again on the subject of Frank Rizzo's successor. Ibo didn't seem to be very interested in any of the men Marty had named. He just lay there with his eyes closed, obviously wishing the police would go away.

"Your organization's almost wiped out," Marty said bluntly to Ibo. "I'm sorry your boys had to die that way. Fire's gotta be a hard way to go, and I know it's not easy for you to even think about it right now. However, we both know that there's soon gonna be blood in the streets as all the territories get reorganized. CA is still the biggest, but the Devils have got some fight left in 'em yet. One of my contacts saw a couple of 'em dealing only one lousy block from your headquarters this afternoon. Business goes on, you know."

Ibo looked at him through narrowed eyes that seemed to be saying _Get to the point, you damn cop._

"Everybody knows that with you stuck in here, no one's steering the ship. You lost your best guys in the blast, and now all you got left is dross like Tyrone over there."

"Fucking pig!" sputtered Tyrone.

"Quiet, asshole," snarled Dee. Tyrone subsided, grumbling, a flush further darkening the light brown skin of his face and neck.

"You need time to heal and rebuild," Marty said to Ibo. It won't be good for you if the Devils or CA get too strong in your absence. We're just as interested in fucking them over as you are. To be fair, we'll fuck you over too, if we can, but right now you're the only leader we happen to have any access to. You following me?"

They could see that Ibo did. There was a spark of something that might have been ambition in his eyes, except for the fact that he also seemed to be in pain.

"Lack of strong leadership will mess them up but good," said Marty, with an evil-looking grin that Dee hadn't imagined him capable of. "As long as they're busy with internal squabbles, they won't have much inclination left over to hunt down Stone Bloods or make any kind of real push for your routes. Now are you on board with what we're tryin' to do here?"

Ibo's response was to ring for the nurse.

"Wait a sec there," Dee said quickly. "We haven't had a chance to ask any questions..." He and Ryo looked anxiously at Marty, who as usual, didn't seem to be perturbed. Marty shook his head at them and waited.

A middle-aged nurse wearing green pastel scrubs appeared in response to Ibo's call. "Yes?" she said.

Essien Ibo tugged his oxygen mask aside, and rasped, "Lozenge," in a hoarse, ugly whisper.

"Does your throat hurt, hon?" She looked at him with concern, not the slightest bit afraid of big, bad Essien Ibo, gang leader and all-round bad guy.

Ibo nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You're not allowed to have anything by mouth yet. Doctor's orders. But I can bring you a few little swabs with a minty solution to dip them in. How about that?"

Ibo agreed with a silent nod.

"Back in a jiffy," the nurse said. She patted his arm gently and left the room.

Silence settled over the occupants of the room for a while. The only thing to be heard was a gentle bubbling, like the sound of a fish tank, that emanated from a rectangular plastic apparatus on the floor next to the bed. Dee noticed that a flexible tube ran from that up toward Ibo's body, disappearing under his pajama top. He thought it was probably something to do with the fact that the man had been shot in the lung, and it looked painful and debilitating. Nonetheless, Dee was both unable and unwilling to summon up any sympathy for the gang leader. He was just relieved that that damn skinhead who had clipped him with a bullet a week ago hadn't plugged him in the lung, like what had happened to this bastard here.

"Damn cops," Tyrone barked suddenly, drawing himself up. He opened his mouth to say more, but Marty forestalled him.

"Let it be, Tyrone," he said in a bored voice, "Or I'm gonna have to start asking you about your mama and her _little business..."_

The young man immediately shut his mouth and withdrew to his chair in the corner, looking uncomfortable. Marty rolled his eyes at Dee and Ryo.

A minute or so later, the nurse returned with the swabs. She unwrapped one for Ibo and put it in his hand, then fussed over his pillows, arranging them so that he was able to sit up a little higher in bed, all the while urging him not to try to talk too much.

"You need your oxygen, dearie. I know you have to talk to the police, but make sure you keep taking breaths, all right?"

Ibo nodded and gave her hand a grateful squeeze before she left. Then he tugged his oxygen mask down under his chin, and met Marty's eyes with a purposeful gaze. He still looked like death warmed over, but his eyes were more alert.

"Pick up De Luca," he wheezed, rubbing his throat. "He'll rally them... if you don't."

"Then who'll step into Frank's shoes?"

"Reggie. That'll... divide them."

"How about Battista?"

Ibo shook his head dismissively. "No guts."

"Contadino?"

"Reggie's successor. But not soon."

"We don't have anything on De Luca at the present time," Marty said. "If we pick him up, we can't hold him."

Ibo smiled a dreadful smile. "I can fix that."

"Good. Devil's next guy in line?"

"LeRoy. Cokehead. Temper." Ibo winced and put his hand on his throat again.

"Contenders?"

"Hogan. Good man. Don't let... in."

The discussion went on a little longer, while Marty and Ibo quite openly discussed necessarily abbreviated ways and means of destabilizing the remnants of the Dyre Street Devils and Corporate America. When Marty had taken down the particulars of Essien Ibo's damning information about De Luca and Hogan, it was clear that the leader of the Stone Bloods was starting to flag.

"The body had just better be where you say it is, Ibo," warned Marty darkly. "If this is just a load of shit you're feeding me, I swear I'll point the whole task force in your direction, and the Stone Bloods will be just another defunct gang of mostly dead losers by this time next year."

"It's there," rasped Ibo, and closed his eyes. He let the swab the nurse had given him fall out of his mouth.

_Yeah and you know that because you probably put it there_, thought Dee with a shiver. This Ibo was one scary customer. But scary customer or no, the guy looked like he was about to pass out, and they still hadn't had a chance to talk to him about their own concerns yet.

"Hey Marty, you done with him?" he asked.

"Yeah, for now," Marty looked up absently from where he was scribbling in his notepad. "He's all yours. See what you can get out of him."

Dee and Ryo glanced at each other wordlessly. Marty was known as the 27th's best expert on gangs. He worked with different partners on different jobs, never the same partner for too long. He also headed up a multi-precinct task force that had been created specifically to crack down on organized crime in the five boroughs. They hadn't witnessed him dealing directly with gang members before, and now they looked at him with a new respect. He really knew the players and the scene inside out, that was for sure.

Dee couldn't help wondering if anyone had a hit out on him, somewhere, while Ryo felt worried about Marty's wife and parents. They could so easily be used against him. Both detectives pushed these thoughts to the backs of their minds, however, and focused on the task at hand.

"Mr. Ibo," said Ryo with professional courtesy. "We know there was a police officer in that warehouse with you last night. Detective Ned Shaver of the Bronx 51st."

A flash of something terrible appeared on Ibo's face for a moment, and the man's hands jerked on the sheet in front of him, instinctively curling into claws. He relaxed his face and hands with an effort, but the oxygen monitor that he was hooked up to began beeping slightly faster, and numbers started to flash as they changed on its tiny screen.

"We want information about a dirty cop we heard recently started working with the Devils... Internal Affairs lieutenant. You know the guy we mean?" Dee said, speaking quickly, with a nervous glance at the door. In his experience, when machines in hospitals started making alarm-noises, nurses appeared and ejected visitors fairly soon after.

"Yeah." Ibo raised the mask to his face and took a couple of deep breaths. The monitor settled down and stopped beeping and flashing.

"He's got a finger in a lot of pies," said Ryo. "He and Detective Shaver had a... relationship, but I'm sure you're aware of that."

"Tired..." Ibo closed his eyes, his voice a faint whisper.

Ryo noticed that Ibo's fist knotted on the tubes that were attached to the mask, pulling it askew. He couldn't be sure whether it was because of the second mention of Shaver's name, or because of the man's need for oxygen.

"The IA guy," said Dee. "Give us something. We wanna nail him."

Ibo's eyes and mouth remained closed, and they waited, nerves taut, to see if he would answer. Unfortunately, the silence was broken by the monitor, which began noisily indicating that once more, some threshold had been crossed within Ibo's body. This caught the attention of Tyrone, who had been answering questions for Marty. Becoming aware of Ibo's condition, he jerked his head up, exclaiming, "Hey! Time to quit! Fuck, man, he got a lotta damage from that fucking fire! Nearly died in there like the others, nearly died in the fucking ambulance, give the guy a fucking break, you fucking pigs!" His voice rose significantly on the last sentence; that alone would have brought the nurses running, even if the monitor hadn't. Running footsteps sounded from the hall.

"Detectives, please go," insisted the same fifty-ish nurse who had attended last time. She began nervously checking Ibo's vital signs. Just then another nurse hurried in. "I paged Doctor Rahman," she said to the first one. "He's on his way."

"Good. Everybody out," said the first nurse authoritatively. "Not you," she added to Tyrone, "but stay out of the way." She turned back to Ibo, her anxious eyes fixed on the monitor. "Oh, I don't like the look of the heart rate, Nora. And oxygen's at 84. We might have to intubate him again. Essien, dear, your O2 lines are all twisted..."

"A name!" Dee urged.

"Let's go, guys," said Marty. "He doesn't look too good."

Ibo turned his head and looked at them, the ghost of a smile twisting his lips. "Ja Romeo," he whispered. "Music shop. East Village."

"Please leave now!" The younger of the two nurses actually shoved Dee away from the bed.

"Mr. Ibo," said Ryo urgently, "did Detective Shaver die in the fire? Did you see him in there?"

The abhorrent expression once more distorted Essien Ibo's face. He turned blazing eyes on Ryo. "Dead!" he hissed. "Burned. Fucking traitor." The heart and oxygen monitor seemed to pick up a burst of speed and flashed wildly. The nurse who had been fiddling with the oxygen mask clamped it down over his nose and mouth.

The doctor entered the room at that moment, shouting instructions, and Dee and Marty dragged Ryo out into the hallway.

"Is he dead?" asked one of the two uniforms on guard outside the room. He looked hopefully at the three detectives from the 27th.

"Not yet," said Dee.

"Damn. Guess we're not getting out of here then," the other one said.

On the elevator ride down to the main floor, Marty was shaking his head and looking worried. "Fuck, I hope he doesn't kick it," he muttered. "There'll be shit all round if he does."

"He won't," said Ryo calmly.

"How the hell do you know?"

"He wants revenge really bad, and he's gonna make damn sure he stays alive long enough to get it," Ryo answered.

"Huh," said Marty, looking at Ryo with interest. "That makes sense, actually. Yeah."

The minute they got outside the hospital doors, both Marty and Dee shoved cigarettes into their mouths and lit them.

"Freaking heavy scene," remarked Dee, pulling smoke deeply into his lungs. "Every time I think I might quit smoking, something like that happens."

"Sounded like you got some good information back there," Ryo said to Marty.

"Yeah, if he's not lying." Marty took a long drag of his cigarette and held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before releasing it. "Times sure have changed. "Fifteen years ago when I was a rookie, you never would've seen gangs ratting each other out to the police like this. They'd shoot each other up, carve each other's guts out, but it was total taboo to talk to the cops. Now they see us as just another tool to get rid of their competitors in a dog-eat-dog world. If the details Ibo gave me pan out, Tony De Luca will likely get sent up for 25 years, and maybe his brother too. It's basically the end of CA if that happens. And Vik Hogan may or may not remember starring in that particular video I'm supposed to be picking up, but I think he'll blow town for good if we show him a clip. Ibo plays hardball like no one I've ever seen. If he manages to live through the next six months, he'll be running this town in another ten years."

"Well, let's hope the next six months don't go his way," said Dee.

"Maybe Ibo will get his turn too, if, as you say, they're all using the police to get rid of each other," remarked Ryo, trying to stifle a yawn. He needed to sleep more than he had ever needed anything in his life. Now, if these two would just finish their cigarettes and refrain from lighting another, they could start moving in the direction of home. At that moment, his phone rang in his jacket pocket.

"Nah," said Marty, in response to what Ryo had just said. "Ibo is freakishly smart. He doesn't make mistakes often, and if he does, he makes sure someone else takes the fall."

"Chief!" said Ryo into his cell phone. "What's up?"

Dee listened with trepidation to Ryo's side of the conversation. He would have been willing to swear that that fucking badger took a secret joy in dumping new work on them whenever they were just minutes away from knocking off for the day. He hoped that wasn't about to happen now.

"What? You're serious? Shaver?" There was a pause, and then he said, "Okay, we'll see you back at the precinct."

When he had hung up he turned toward Dee, who was looking at him and shaking his head sadly.

"We're not going home, are we?" Dee asked.

"Dee, you'll never believe it. The ANFO car bomb..."

"What about the car bomb?"

"It was _Shaver's_ car. A bomb on wheels. The trunk was apparently already packed with a mixture of ammonium nitrate and diesel when he drove it into the warehouse last night."

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

"Thanks for coming back, boys," said the Chief. "I'll try not to keep you for too long, but we've got to talk about this. The Commissioner already announced Shaver's upcoming funeral in his press conference today. The media will be there in force on Sunday. It's gonna be on the six o'clock news right across the country."

"So it's gonna be pretty embarrassing if it turns out that Shaver pulled a stunt worthy of a suicide bomber." Ryo sat in his chair, drooping with exhaustion, but his mind was working busily on this new information about Shaver.

"Exactly. And we'd better find out what the hell happened before the press gets wind of this."

"How many people know already?" asked Marty, who had given them a ride back to the precinct.

"Too many. Lieutenant Guerrero's team from the bomb squad, and the arson investigation team, which pretty well means the whole of the FDNY. I even had a suit from Homeland Security leaning on me about it today."

"How about the 51st?" Ryo asked.

"Not so far. At least, I haven't told them. But I probably should."

"There's no doubt about this?" Dee looked troubled.

"None whatsoever. By the process of elimination, it had to be his car. They got VIN numbers for all the other vehicles, and they all checked out. The only one we don't have a VIN number for was the totally wrecked piece of scrap metal that was the source of the explosion."

"I guess the main question is: who planted the bomb?" Marty said.

"Yep, that's the main question, all right. That's really why I dragged you back here tonight. Sunday is only three short days away. We need answers and we need 'em fast. Laytner and MacLean, you guys know more about Shaver's troubles and motivations than anyone on his own team. So I ask you. Whaddaya think? Did he do it?"

"No," said Dee at the same time as Ryo said, "Yes." They looked at each other, then back at the Chief.

"Okay, both of you give me your reasons, but make it snappy because we all want to get home at a decent hour tonight. You first, Dee."

"He was a guy who'd lost his honor," Dee said, with another glance at Ryo. "It was eating him up inside. I can't see him committing murder on that kind of scale. Also, he didn't strike me as much of a thinker or planner. He was more of a 'reactor'. Shit happened, he reacted."

"Even 'reactors' sometimes get proactive if they're pushed hard enough," the Chief reminded him.

"Well, don't forget, his car was left unattended for about eight hours yesterday in front of Cafe Bruno in Little Italy. We know he was being followed by gang members. That's why he asked for my help."

"So, you're saying anyone could have tampered with it without his knowledge?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good point. Randy?"

"I think he did it because he saw it as the only way out. He was caught between the expectations of two gangs, Abernathy had him running illegal errands every time he snapped his fingers, and he couldn't even support his family properly. Getting himself killed in the line of duty was the best solution to his various problems. Now he's a hero and his wife and child get his pension and an insurance payout. Abernathy can't call his tune anymore, and most of his enemies are dead." He paused for a moment. "If we'd been able to offer him a deal, it might have been different."

Dee looked at Ryo, feeling a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew his partner was right, but he didn't want to believe it. "But his kid..." he said. "The guy really loved his son. And Shaver was a fighter. Why would he just give up like that?"

Compassion for the other man flooded Ryo's heart, but he was careful to keep his face neutral. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that Dee was perhaps remembering Jess, his long-dead 'father' who had once been in a similar predicament to Shaver's. Jess had been working on the side for the largest mafia group in the city, and when one of their members had tried to recruit Dee as a boy prostitute and errand-runner, Jess had shot the guy dead. Of course he must have known that by doing that, he was essentially committing suicide. He had died in Dee's arms, surrounded by Gianni Bruno and his sneering thugs, his blood soaking through his own clothes and Dee's. Perhaps Dee was also remembering the boy he himself had been, the boy that was left behind.

It had been a turning point in Dee's life, that much was certain. Dee had glossed over the aftermath, but Mother Maria had been more forthcoming. There were some parts of Dee's past that he didn't want to talk about, and Ryo respected that. But sometimes he wondered.

"Do either of you know if he was perhaps afraid for the safety of his family?" asked the Chief. The question was ostensibly for both of them, but it was Dee that he was looking at.

"Yeah. Maybe," Dee answered, looking down at the floor.

"Okay, boys, this means we've got a problem. The Commissioner is dead set on this funeral. It's damn good publicity for the NYPD, makes us look like hardworking heroes, increases funding potential, all that jazz. Maybe Shaver did it, maybe he didn't. The guy ain't around to ask. If there's evidence out there that he blew up that warehouse himself, we've got to find it before the press does, and then find a way to change the spin."

"Are we proceeding on the assumption that he did it, then?"

"Yeah, and we're going to hope like hell that we don't find any evidence to support that."

"Are we gonna float the theory that someone set him up?"

"Absolutely. That's what the Commissioner wants."

"What if we find incontrovertible evidence that he did it? We're not going to suppress it, are we?" Ryo asked, looking at the Chief with a slightly stubborn set to his jaw.

The Chief gave him a level look. "I'm not in favor of suppressing evidence, ever," he replied. "That shit has a way of coming back to bite a guy in the ass. It's the kind of thing that can get a whole precinct a bad rep. If we find _incontrovertible_ evidence, it goes to the Commissioner and the PR department."

"If someone loaded MY car with a bunch of garden fertilizer mixed with fuel oil, I think I'd notice," remarked Marty. "Just by the smell, if not the extra weight."

"It's possible he knew what was in his trunk and that he was being compelled," ventured Dee.

"Yeah, that is a possibility." The chief nodded and picked up his half smoked cigar from the clean ashtray that he kept on his desk as a souvenir from the good old days when they had still been allowed to smoke inside public buildings in the city. Now if he wanted a few puffs, he had to go stand outside in the rain with the rest of the losers. He stuck the unlit cigar between his teeth, anyway.

"There's a flaw in that theory that we should consider," Ryo said. "If it was a third party who turned Shaver's car into a bomb, detonation would've presented a logistical problem, especially with ANFO being so stable and all. Even if the bomb was detonated remotely and not by Shaver, himself, he would've been caught in it. Would he have consented to die?"

"He might, if they had his family or something," Marty said. "But it still begs the question of who wanted to take out the Stone Bloods, Corporate America, and maybe the Devils all in one go."

"You're the guy with the best shot at answering that one," said the Chief. "What do you think?"

Marty's brow furrowed in thought. "Hard to say. They were the three biggest. It could be that whoever set it up didn't know the Devils were gonna crash the party. Or maybe they did. Could've been a rival faction of the Devils, although I can't imagine LeRoy being able to think up and carry out something like that just to get himself a promotion. He's likely already installed himself as the next leader," Marty added for the Chief's benefit.

The Chief turned his hawk like gaze on Dee. "Didn't you say Shaver had been beaten up by the Devils recently?"

"Yeah, he was. Pretty badly, too." Their eyes met, and both were thinking the same thing, though it couldn't be said out loud with Marty in the room. Abernathy. He was involved with the Devils, or so Shaver had said. Could it have been him?

The Chief leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Food for thought," he said. "Marty, were there any smaller gangs that might have wanted that blast to happen?"

Marty emitted a single snort of laughter. "Yeah. Like, _all_ of them! Last night's massacre of gang personnel has been the best thing that ever happened to the small gangs. Prices and profits have practically doubled overnight."

"But they'll be fighting amongst themselves, now."

"Yeah, but what the hell," Marty answered. "That's what those assholes do. It's all part of the job description. And to the winner go the spoils."

"Marty, this is what I want you to do. Take some guys from your task force and get out on the streets tomorrow. Tonight even, if possible. Talk to the gangs. See if anyone wants to, indirectly-like, take credit for the explosion. Try to bring me back something that PR can use."

"Yes, sir. I gotta go pick up a very special gangland video from Stone Blood territory, anyway. Is there anyone I can take with me?"

"James should still be upstairs. If you can't find him, do NOT go alone. The gang situation is too volatile right now. Until it settles down, no one works alone. That's an order."

"Well, worst case scenario, I can go tomorrow. But I think I'll be okay. Ibo really wants us to have this particular video."

"Take at least one other guy with you," the Chief repeated. "You might run into trouble with other groups moving in on Stone Blood turf." He looked at his watch. "You got a few more hours left on your shift. Get on it now."

"Yes sir." Marty stood up, relieved to be leaving. He was a man of action, when all was said and done. "Good night, everyone."

"See you, Marty," said Ryo. "Thanks for the ride."

When the door had closed behind Marty, the Chief turned back to his remaining two detectives.

"Well?" He said. "Did you get anything outta Ibo?"

"Yeah, we've got a name. Sounds like a street name, but it's a start," Ryo told him. "Ja Romeo, East Village. We're supposed to ask at music shops."

"Good. Now about Abernathy..." The Chief paused, the lines on his forehead more deeply etched as he thought. "Do you think it's possible he had a hand in the explosion? You were there Randy. You saw him, talked to him."

"I honestly don't know," Ryo replied. "He was certainly nervous about something. It's a possibility of course. But if he did it for the Devils, he certainly screwed up by killing twenty-two of them. In any case, it's something to keep in mind."

"Exactly. Now before I let you guys go, I wanna talk about detonation. You heard Lieutenant Guererro this afternoon. They're not sure what kind of detonation system was used. If it was Shaver who was behind the blast, he probably would have used a different method than if it was someone on the outside who was setting it off. Randy, what can you tell me?"

"M-me, sir?" Ryo suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, discomfort apparent in every line of his body. "I...um...er..." He was leery of discussing explosive devices with any of his commanding officers. His past experience had taught him to be wary. But this was Lieutenant Smith, who had always been fair with him. He forced himself to relax. "Sir, it would be possible to rig up a vehicle with a remote detonation device, although it may not be very reliable," he said. "I've...um, read about such things."

Dee had never forgotten about how Ryo had blown up Richard Feldman's house a few years back, and he was pretty sure the Chief hadn't, either. Ryo didn't often bring it up. It was a black mark on his record that might never go away. Ryo was a straight arrow, rule loving, by-the-book cop, rock-steady during a crisis. But once in a while he had been known to do something totally off the wall, usually as a result of panic. That had been one of those times.

"I'm sure you have, Randy," said the Chief, one eyebrow raised. "Tell me how it might be done."

"There are several ways. If it was Shaver, rather than an outsider, and if he didn't really know any other way to do it, the easiest way would be if he...um... let a fuse dangle out of the car and ignited it. He would have been committing suicide for sure, though." He watched the Chief anxiously, hoping he wasn't talking his way into a whole world of trouble. "The fuse would have burned its way up into the trunk, where it would have caused an initial explosion of, say, a stick of dynamite or a source of dry gunpowder. The blast from that would be enough to set off the ANFO mixture. ANFO needs a big blast because it's a pretty stable mixture compared to other explosives. But the fuse would be noticeable, and that would be the main problem."

"Not necessarily if there was a gun battle going on," grunted the Chief. "What are the other ways?"

"Well," said Ryo, looking nervously at the Chief. "Some sort of timer. Or something electronic, where someone presses a button on a radio unit that sends a signal to detonate. But the person would have to have a fair bit of knowledge and experience."

"And that could've been done from outside the warehouse, couldn't it?" asked the Chief, looking pleased.

"Yeah, it could've. But a lot would depend on the range. There wouldn't be much of a delay. An explosion that size could easily catch the guy who triggered it."

"Well, we know there was someone there," said Dee. "We know someone got away on a bicycle, if Lieutenant Abernathy is to be believed."

"We still gotta check out the idea that it was Shaver who prepared the bomb," said the Chief, and sighed. "I'm gonna send Ted to Shaver's apartment tomorrow to look for traces of ANFO bomb materials. Hopefully the landlord will let 'em in without a warrant." The Chief put his cigar back in the ashtray again.

"Chief, maybe we should..."

"No Randy, not you. You're way overdue for a day off. Don't want you getting sick on me. I don't wanna see your face here tomorrow, nor Saturday either. You're back on for Sunday, second shift. Do me a favor and get some rest."

"What about me?" Dee asked.

The chief flipped open a binder and consulted the new schedule. "You're off tomorrow, but back in at three PM on Saturday. You guys are both on second shift for the next two weeks."

Ryo glanced at Dee to see if he was smiling. He knew that his partner liked second shift because he liked to sleep late in the mornings. Dee, however, wasn't smiling. It was as though all the energy had gone out of him during this meeting.

"Let's go, Dee. We're done, right Chief?"

"Yeah. Go the fuck home. "

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

Dee was unusually silent on the drive back to Ryo's place, not even bothering to curse when another driver cut him off. Ryo was too tired himself to try to cheer him up. All he could think of was to invite him in for a snack, which he did. Dee probably needed a little affection. Ryo hoped he wouldn't need more than that. He was really too tired to think.

"Nah, thanks anyway, dude." Dee kept his foot on the brake, his eyes flickering from Ryo's face to the rear view mirror. "I've stayed over too many nights in a row already. Don't wanna wear out my welcome. I'll just go home and scramble some eggs."

"Are you sure, Dee?" Ryo put a hand on his arm and gave his partner a searching look. "You're more than welcome to stay."

"Thanks, but I think I should go home. Bikky hasn't seen you for two evenings running and I'm pretty sure he won't be happy to see me again so soon. But we're on for tomorrow, right? After my stitches come out?"

"Um, yeah..." Ryo suddenly found his face getting warm. "What time?"

"Call me around ten on my cell."

"Okay." Ryo hesitated, wondering if Dee was expecting a good night kiss. They were directly in front of his apartment building, though, and people were still walking on the sidewalk, very close to the car. Dee was making no move to kiss him...Was his partner expecting him to do something? He felt he should at least give Dee a hug after what had happened.

The sudden honking of the driver behind Dee's double-parked vehicle jolted him out of his anxious and indecisive thoughts.

"I'd better go, Dee. Thanks for the ride." He gave his partner's upper arm a squeeze before getting out of the car and hurrying onto the sidewalk. He turned around to wave, but Dee was already moving. He felt vaguely disappointed, but Dee was probably right. Bikky would be needing his attention tonight of all nights. The funeral would have been on his foster-son's mind all day.

Tomorrow, he would give Dee all the affection he needed.

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

Ryo stood outside Bellevue Hospital, waiting for Dee. He wasn't quite sure how he had been talked into this, but somehow he had agreed to go with Dee to the hospital to pretty well hold his hand while he got his stitches taken out. And now, to top it all off, his idiot partner was late. Irritably, he looked at his watch for the third time. He had things to do. Bikky had eaten a week's worth of cold cuts last night, and there was practically nothing left in the fridge with which to make dinner tonight, anyway. He'd been too busy lately to pick up groceries. And if he didn't do laundry soon, he and Bikky would both run out of clean socks.

"Ryo!" It was Dee, jogging up to him in black jeans and a blue shirt over a black tank. He was carrying a paper bag of groceries in the crook of one arm, and with his other hand, he was pushing a pair off sunglasses up on top of his head. The bright sunshine slanted into his green eyes and lit them like emeralds. There was unfeigned happiness on his face at the sight of his partner.

"About time," said Ryo sternly, trying to resist this vision. He turned to face Dee with his hands on his hips. Didn't you say you had an appointment at 10:45?"

"Ah, so what if I'm a few minutes late? I wanted to pick up some groceries for you, since I'm always mooching off of you." He handed the bag to Ryo, whose demeanor instantly changed. Dee looking startlingly handsome, he could maybe resist. But Dee looking startlingly handsome while handing him groceries was quite another thing altogether.

"What did you get?" Ryo couldn't help smiling at him before looking curiously inside the bag.

"Bread, milk, coffee, ground beef, tomatoes..." Dee was counting on his fingers as they walked into the hospital together.

"And cold cuts!" exclaimed Ryo, who was rooting around at the bottom of the bag.

"Yeah, I thought we could have sandwiches for lunch. At your place," Dee added with a meaningful look. "Or mine."

"Let's go to mine," said Ryo, smiling at him. "I...um...I put fresh sheets on the bed this morning."

Dee's face lit up and he moved as though to hug Ryo, catching himself in the nick of time. Ryo's eyes had just flashed a warning at him, but the smile was still there.

"What time is the brat due home?"

"He said he'd be back around five. He's going to watch Carol play field-hockey after school today."

"Okay, here's the schedule," said Dee, leaning in as close to Ryo as he dared. "First we're gonna - "

At that moment, a strident and all-too familiar voice rent the air. "DEE LAYTNER! How dare you be late for your appointment?"

The two men whirled around in alarm, and no little fear. It was Nurse Emiry striding toward them with the light of battle gleaming in her piggy little eyes.

"Come with me, right now! How dare you throw our schedule off just because you're too inconsiderate and selfish to bother to show up on time?" Nurse Emiry seized Dee by the arm and started dragging him away.

"What the - ? You're supposed to be in Brooklyn! Ryo! Help m- "

"QUIET! This is a hospital!" Nurse Emiry gave Dee a good shake that rattled his teeth in his head. "If you must know, I transferred here for a promotion."

"Not fucking likely. I bet New York East fired you for killing the patients!"

"I won't stand for your nonsense! Others need their rest. You're supposed to KEEP your VOICE down!"

"_Me_? You're noisier than a family of inbred rednecks at a monster truck rally, and you're telling _me_ - "

"Save your pathetic insults, Mr. Laytner! Now get into that room and STRIP!"

Ryo had been following at a safe distance as the large and powerful Nurse Emiry pulled Dee down a hallway and was thus in time to see her propel him into a treatment room. He heard the sound of Dee colliding with a chair or some other item of furniture, and then a clattering sound, as though a tray of metal implements had just crashed to the floor. More shouting ensued. Ryo had absolutely no desire to go into that room.

There was a vinyl-cushioned bench outside the room, which he sat down on to wait. It was amazing to him that Nurse Emiry was still employed after years of behavior like this. He figured that she was either a member of a strong union, or she was damn good at her job. Or maybe she reserved this over-the-top behavior strictly for Dee. They sure seemed to arouse the worst in each other. In any case, Dee had snapped fairly early on like he always did, and now they were going at it hammer and tongs. Ryo tried to block out the escalating exchange of insults by burying his nose in a magazine, but it just wasn't working. He wished Nurse Emiry would hurry up and get Dee's stitches out so they could go.

When the screaming started, he knew she was doing just that.

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

Dee grumbled and cursed all the way back to the parking lot, rubbing his injured side and looking quickly over his shoulder a couple of times as though he were afraid that Nurse Emiry might actually be following him. Ryo listened to him patiently and tried not to smile. There was something about a good fight, physical or otherwise that seemed to energize Dee. Ryo had observed this phenomenon in his partner countless times and he still didn't understand it. Of course, it went without saying that the effect was lost if Dee ended up shot or unconscious.

"Do you feel up to driving or are you in too much pain?" Ryo asked, completely deadpan.

"Yeah, sure I can drive! My scar just stings like a sonofabitch thanks to that - that sadistic mistress of torture masquerading as a nurse! At Bellevue, now! Fuck, just when I thought I was safe. How the HELL does she get away with this shit?" He went on and on, hurling invective and imprecations against the character and behavior of the evil Nurse Emiry as he unlocked the doors of his car and popped the trunk open for Ryo to stow the groceries. Still complaining, he slid into the driver's seat and angrily jammed the key into the ignition. "It's probably just her thwarted dominatrix fantasies - if that she-gorilla had been born just twenty percent less ugly, she might have..." He trailed off, realizing that Ryo had not joined him in the car. He glanced in the rear view mirror and saw that the lid of the trunk was still up. What the hell was his partner doing? He swung the driver's side door open and joined him at the back of the car.

Ryo was examining the wiring of the trunk light at close range with that familiar little frown of his, the one that usually indicated great concentration. His reading glasses were on, and his rump was stuck out in such a way as to make all of Dee's ill-feeling toward Nurse Emiry dissipate like fog being suddenly burned off by the appearance of sunlight. Ryo was wearing a pair of thin, microfiber slacks that clung to the curves of his perfect little male ass, and Dee was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had sworn last Sunday to fuck that ass on Friday, and Ryo had not only acquiesced, but had indicated in his shy, roundabout way that he was looking forward to it.

"What's up, baby?" Dee asked softly, longing to run his hands over his partner's irresistibly outthrust buttocks and down his hard thighs, but naturally not daring to in a crowded, well-populated parking lot.

Ryo straightened up, holding the tiny light bulb from the trunk light. He was peering at it through the lenses of his thick-framed reading glasses. "I think..." he said thoughtfully, "I think I've figured out how Shaver blew up his car."

"The Chief and the Commissioner would be WAY happier if you didn't tell them," said Dee. "But you can tell me, if you want. While we drive toward bed - er, I mean 'home'."

Ryo's eyes met Dee's and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the words out, his cell phone rang.

Dee swore under his breath. _Please don't let that be the Badger_, he prayed.

Ryo flipped open his cell phone and frowned briefly at the sight of the number before answering. "Detective Greenspan, hello."

Dee clenched both fists and glared at Ryo. It was all he could do to prevent himself from snatching the phone out of his partner's hand and hanging up on the bitch. He knew trouble was coming; he could feel it. And her timing totally sucked.

"What, right now?" Ryo said into the phone. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dee rolling his eyes, and grinding his teeth. "It's just that I'm on my day off and I'm in the middle of plans. I have many things to accomplish before my son comes home from school."

Dee stared at his partner in amazement. Was Mr. Workaholic actually blowing her off? He wanted to start grinning, but a little voice in the back of his mind warned him that that would be premature.

"Who?" Ryo sounded quite surprised. "Are you...are you with him right now?" There was a pause. "Good morning Commissioner. Very well, thanks, and you?"

Dee's mouth dropped open. Detective Greenspan was with the Commissioner. And any second now, they were both going to blow his day to hell.

"At Bellevue Hospital," Ryo said, sounding somewhat doubtful. "Kinney parking lot. We'll wait. See you in a few minutes."

"FUCK!" Dee roared, shaking his fist at the sky.

An elderly couple passing near the car flinched and shrank away from him.

Less than five minutes later, The Commissioner's sleek black Lexus rolled up and Detective Greenspan got out of it, laughing. She waved, and to Ryo's relief, the Lexus drove off without her. She walked toward them on kitten heels, a pretty summer skirt swirling about her knees. She looked younger and happier than she had the last few times they had seen her, but as she got closer, her eyes found Ryo's face, and her smile faded.

"Detective MacLean." She gave him a grave nod, and totally ignored the glowering man at his side. "I'm sorry to disturb you on your day off, but I said this was important, and it is."

"Will it take long?" demanded Dee.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," she said coolly, sparing him the briefest of glances. "Detective MacLean, as I said, Lieutenant Abernathy contacted me again. And once again, he wanted to talk about your son."

Ryo stiffened. "What did he say this time?"

"Not much. He brought pictures. He said they would speak for themselves." She opened her stylish leather briefcase and partially withdrew a large manila envelope.

Ryo felt his heart start to beat faster. What the hell could it be? A short time ago he had prevented Bikky from buying marijuana from Eddie. What if it was something like that again? He felt Dee's hand reassuringly squeeze his shoulder, and it steadied him.

Whatever it was, they would face it together.

&(-)&(-)&(-)&

end of Chapter 40

Additional author's notes: Chapter 41 is up on my LJ page, where you will also find an alphabetical list of all the major and minor characters I created for this story. You can thank Shadowcat17 for suggesting that I put my LJ page in my profile. I had tinkered with it before, but couldn't get it to work. Anyhow, thanks to her I got it done. If you want to go to my LJ, just click on the link in my profile. Thanks for reading Chapter 40!


	41. Chapter 41

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

By Brit Columbia

_Chapter 41_

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/ Ryo

Rating: Worksafe. Swearing. A little kiss. Sorry, pervs.

Spoilers: To Volume 7

Timing: Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Lieutenants Abernathy and Fox are mine however, along with Detective Greenspan and Dot, the waitress. I have not based these characters on any living person.

Author's notes: I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee.

Thank you to Mtemplar , Moontatoo and LadyFeather

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

Chapter 41

Detectives Laytner and MacLean sat across from Detective Greenspan in a booth at Marv's Diner. Dee's sunglasses were covering his eyes, even though he and his companions were indoors. He freely admitted to himself that he kept them on mainly to make Detective Greenspan uncomfortable. She had actually tried to sit down next to Ryo, but Dee had butted in front of her and taken that spot, with no word of apology. Of course, the challenging glare he had given her had gone completely unnoticed on account of the sunglasses. She had glanced at him a little uncertainly, but had merely shrugged and taken the seat opposite them.

A lively gray-haired waitress appeared with smiles and coffee for everyone. "Will you be needing menus?" she inquired, her eyes drinking in the sight of the two extremely good-looking men who had chosen to grace her establishment with their presence.

"Not today, thanks," said Ryo with a smile. He couldn't believe how normal his voice sounded, even though he felt quite sick with apprehension.

"Well, if you change your mind, I'll be right over there at the counter, doin' the pastry order," she informed him. "Just give me a shout. My name's Dot."

"Dot," said Detective Greenspan sweetly, "do you think you could find me some low-cal creamer?"

Dot reluctantly tore her eyes away from Dee and Ryo, and bent her attention to the pretty woman who was accompanying them. "Sorry, honey, what did you say?"

"Low-cal creamer. Do you have any?" Detective Greenspan repeated patiently, pushing the small jug of regular creamer a short distance away from herself with a slight wrinkling of her nose.

Dot looked blank for a moment before saying, "Ah! Low-cal creamer. Why, sure. I'll be right back with some."

She bustled off in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the three of them temporarily alone. Detective Greenspan opened her briefcase again and slowly drew out the manila envelope she had shown them earlier. She placed it on her side of the table, and rested her hand on it almost possessively before raising her eyes to gaze upon Ryo with a sympathetic look, that although perhaps kindly-meant, made him want to grind his teeth.

"Detective MacLean," she said gently, "I'm afraid you might find some of these pictures a little upsetting, so I just want to warn you to brace yourself for some possible...er, 'bad news' about your son's recent activities."

"I'm braced, thank you," said Ryo calmly. "Now can I please see them?" Under the table, Dee's thigh was pressing against his with a silent message of support, and he appreciated it more than he could ever have said.

But Detective Greenspan kept her hand on the envelope. "I think we should wait," she said firmly. "You know, until the waitress has come and gone."

Dee regarded her from behind his sunglasses. She was enjoying this, the little bitch. This was her moment of power. Fresh from rubbing shoulders and God knows what else with the Commissioner of the NYPD, she was now secretly reveling in her ability to withhold potentially damning information about a man's son from him.

"Give him the friggin' envelope, Tinkerbell."

An angry flush leapt to her cheeks, and she unconsciously tugged the envelope a little closer to herself. "Detective Laytner, I honestly think it would be best if -" she stopped speaking and gasped as Dee's coffee cup slipped from his hand and crashed onto the table, sending a small torrent of coffee rushing towards her.

"Hey Dot," called Dee cheerfully. "Clean up on aisle three!"

As Detective Greenspan's dismayed eyes turned toward the kitchen, Dee reached across the table and snatched up the envelope, which he immediately handed to Ryo.

Dot who had just been coming through the saloon doors of the kitchen with a small white jug in her hand, scooped up a rag from the end of the counter as she passed and proceeded toward their table at double her previous pace.

Detective Greenspan was forced to stand up and snatch her open briefcase out of harm's way, just before coffee began dripping onto the seat she had been occupying a moment ago.

"Dee!" hissed Ryo under his breath. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Dee shoved his sunglasses up onto his head and said, "Dude, just open the envelope already. The suspense is killing me. If we left things to her, we wouldn't be getting a look at those pictures until she'd finished milking the moment for all it was worth. Like, oh...the middle of the afternoon, maybe?" He didn't bother lowering his voice, and in fact glanced over at Detective Greenspan to make sure she was listening. "Sorry about that Tina," he added loudly. "You didn't get any on your skirt, did you?"

"Just a drop or two," she replied in an acidic voice, submitting to having her skirt dabbed at by the unfazed Dot.

"Go put some cold water on it, honey," said the waitress sympathetically. "It's such a pretty skirt, it would be a shame to get coffee stains on it. I've got some little packets of Stain-Out that you're welcome to try. Come on with me, now. Just leave your briefcase here."

Detective Greenspan, casting a mistrustful look over her shoulder at Dee, followed Dot with her briefcase firmly clasped in both hands.

Since the table was still wet, the two detectives moved to an adjacent booth to open the envelope. Despite his professed disapproval of Dee's action, Ryo was actually deeply grateful to him for getting rid of Detective Greenspan, even though the method had been a little lacking in finesse. He wanted to view the potentially shocking contents of the envelope without her sharp eyes watching for his reaction. She would probably be back in a few minutes, however, so he knew he'd better be quick. He unwound the string that was holding the package closed and dumped the contents onto the table.

A vast number of eight by ten glossy photographs slid out, mostly of Bikky. In almost every photograph, he could be seen talking to known drug dealers. Some of the photos were paper-clipped together in sets, and when viewed one after the other, they appeared to tell a story. Ryo frowned at one series of photos that depicted Bikky approaching Wes Samberg, a guy whom Ryo had personally busted two years back for possession and assault. Wes and Bikky shook hands in one photo; in the next, Bikky was explaining or asking something; in the next, Wes seemed to be protesting. Another picture showed him apparently acquiescing and handing Bikky a small packet of something in a furtive manner, while looking the other way. In the final picture, Bikky could be seen equally furtively stuffing whatever the drug dealer had given him into his pocket.

There were many more like that. Ryo sifted through them silently, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. How could he not have known? Bikky must have been further into the drug trade than he could have possibly guessed. Some of the pictures were taken in daylight, others when it was dark. Bikky was wearing different clothes in different photos, which indicated that whatever he had been up to was not a one-time thing. Ryo bowed his head in rage and sorrow, trying desperately to compose himself before Detective Greenspan returned to the table.

He couldn't believe it when Dee started laughing. He jerked his head up, eyes blazing. What the hell was his partner doing? Yes, Dee had a twisted sense of humor at times, but how could he possibly find anything funny in _this_?

"Ryo, dude, don't look at me like that," Dee said, shaking his head from side to side. "You're gonna laugh, too, I promise you." Somehow he managed to get the words out between snickers. "This is...f-fucking hysterical!"

"Would you care to explain exactly what is so funny?" Ryo demanded in a low voice. "Because I, personally, can't see anything humorous in this whole situation."

"Neither can I," said Detective Greenspan, stepping up to their new booth with a wet spot right in the middle of her skirt. She took a seat opposite them once more and gave Dee a disgusted look, that Ryo, for once, wholeheartedly approved of. "In fact, I think the situation couldn't be more grave. Many of these guys that Bikky had clandestine meetings with are people who make their money selling drugs. As you know, Mr. Calvetti also made a significant portion of his living doing the same thing." She swept a hand over the photos and added. "You do realize, don't you, that this goes a long way toward establishing motive? Mr. Calvetti was no doubt a source of competition to the others. Any one of them might have wanted him out of the way, and it looks as though someone might have used your son to set him up."

Ryo's ire, which had been exclusively focused on Dee, immediately expanded to include Detective Greenspan. "The last time we talked about this, you told me most definitively that you did _not_ think that my son was involved in the murder," he reminded her, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Well, it's possible he may not have been aware that he was helping to facilitate a murder...or he might not have expected his associates to go so far as to commit murder when they told him they wanted to find Mr. Calvetti." She looked at him resolutely, although her manner was not without compassion. "This new evidence is forcing me to rethink things. In any case, I'm going to have to question him again. And Carol, too. You perhaps noticed that she's in one or two of the photographs, obviously acting as a lookout."

Ryo hadn't noticed, but that piece of information gave him pause. Carol, too? But she was so adamantly anti-drug. How could this possibly be? "No, I didn't notice," he said. "Show me."

Detective Greenspan sifted through several photos and handed him one. Dee wordlessly gave him the other. Ryo looked at them in silence. Carol did seem to be acting as a lookout. Or maybe she just hadn't wanted to actually speak to any of the sellers. There was something wrong about this. He thought hard, trying to put his finger on it.

"What did the Commissioner think of the photos?" asked Dee abruptly.

"He said they were most interesting, and that it would really be very unfortunate if it turned out that Bikky is involved in the drug scene," she said briskly, gathering up the photos into one neat pile. "He advised me that you would probably want to see them ASAP, even though today's your day off." She looked at Ryo expectantly, obviously waiting to be thanked.

He knew it was ungracious of him, but he just couldn't bring himself to thank her. Not only had she just given him one of the worst pieces of news that a parent could imagine having to absorb, but he didn't like her new attitude at all. She was behaving as though the power balance had shifted between them, and that she suddenly had the upper hand and could afford to be benevolent and sympathetic, at least to a point. He looked into her eyes and found that he trusted her less than ever, despite the promise of their last conversation when she had called him at the precinct on Wednesday. He hoped that the Commissioner hadn't truly told her everything.

"Detective Laytner, I'll be needing that one too." Detective Greenspan held out a peremptory hand for the single picture that Dee had been gazing at for the last few minutes.

"Huh? No way. This is my favorite picture," he said, holding it close to himself.

"It IS a darn cute one," opined Dot, who had come up behind him with a coffeepot in one hand. "More coffee for anyone?"

"Hell, yeah," said Dee. "The lady and I will be needing new cups. And my partner there was smart enough to bring his own cup with him when we moved to this table, but I'd say he REALLY needs another cup of coffee right now."

Dot told them she'd be right back, and as soon as she was gone, Detective Greenspan turned once more to Ryo. "I'd like to question your son again tomorrow if possible. And don't worry -" she laid a hand on his arm - "I won't bring Detective Saunders this time. She smiled conspiratorially, as though what had happened last time had been nothing more than a silly little misunderstanding instead of the extremely stressful and ill-managed fiasco that it had truly been.

"Tomorrow's not convenient," said Dee before Ryo could answer. "Is it, Ryo?"

"No," Ryo confirmed. He needed more time, for one thing. And he was pretty sure that Lindsay Masters, the high priced lawyer he had hired for Bikky, probably charged double if he had to turn out on a weekend.

Detective Greenspan suggested Sunday, and then Monday, but Ryo rejected both days.

She seemed to be getting just a tiny bit impatient. "You know, Detective MacLean," she said. "It I were you, I'd perhaps want to be a bit more cooperative."

Ryo's head came up sharply at that, but Dee just burst out laughing again, and Dot, who had reappeared with a tray of fresh cups, two little jugs of creamer, and a coffee pot, laughed with him.

"Oh, I do like to see people happy," she said as she poured coffee into their cups. "Honey, you must have told him a real funny joke to get him laughing like that." She smiled benevolently from Dee to Detective Greenspan, and then winked at Ryo, as if to say, 'aren't they cute?'

"Actually," said Dee, pointing at Detective Greenspan, "the joke's on her." His eyes sparkled mischievously at Dot, who after a quick glance that took in Detective Greenspan's set mouth and resentful eyes, beat a tactful retreat.

"Detective Laytner, I fail to see the cause for all this foolishness," Detective Greenspan said pointedly. "Have you no compassion for your partner?"

Dee grinned at her and gave the neat little pile of photos in front of her a contemptuous flick with his thumb and forefinger. "You got nothin', Tina."

"On the contrary. I've got photo evidence of something rather serious. My colleagues have already rounded up three of these men, and I'll be returning to Queens presently to question them. What do you think they're going to say when they see these photos and I ask them about Bikky?"

"They're gonna say you got nothin'. I don't see any drugs in these pictures, and neither will they."

"If they're selling drugs, they'll likely have some in their possession, and they'll probably be more than ready to cooperate to catch a break," she said.

Ryo wondered what game Dee was playing. He kept his mouth shut and waited.

"What if I told you I was with the kid the night - " Dee shuffled through the pictures with one hand until he found the one he wanted - "THIS one was taken?" He tossed it down in front of her, his eyebrows raised.

Ryo leaned forward to look at it upside down. A ponytailed Bikky, clad in a light colored hoodie and jeans stood under a street lamp talking to a redheaded hooker in thigh-high boots.

"It's been cropped, of course," Dee said. "If you had the whole scene, I'd be standing right about here." He moved one of the two creamer jugs into a position off to the right of the photo.

"Dee?" Ryo was peering at him looking shocked and confused. "What...?"

Dee held his gaze, grinning, until something suddenly started dawning on Ryo.

"Three, two, one...and he's figured it out!" Dee snapped his fingers just as Ryo's face broke into a huge grin of relief.

Detective Greenspan's eyes moved uncertainly from one man to the other. "Would someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"Sure thing, hon. Let me tell you the story of a really expensive funeral and the totally awesome kid who raised fifteen hundred bucks to help pay for it..."

From the counter, Dot returned to polishing the silverware with a happy nod. Now the other young man was smiling, too. He had been so serious-looking when he first came in, and she had thought to herself at the time that he would probably look like an angel if he smiled. And he certainly did. Now it seemed that he had been able to forget what was troubling him, and she was glad. She enjoyed seeing people happy, especially when they were in her restaurant.

&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&

For the second time, Lieutenant Abernathy explained the details of his investigations of Officers Peyton and Henley of the 36th Precinct to the newly promoted Lieutenant Fox. It really shouldn't be so difficult for the man to understand.

"It wasn't so much that they slapped around the hooker," he said. "The main problem was that they tried to cover it up."

"But it should also be a problem that they slapped around the hooker, shouldn't it?" Lieutenant Fox asked. He had an irritating habit of pulling the ends of his goatee into a point and then twisting it.

Lieutenant Abernathy sighed. "Sonny," he said. "I'm making allowances for you because I know you're new to the city and that when you were a patrol cop back in Reno, you probably never found it necessary to slap around a hooker. But things are a little different here..."

Lieutenant Fox listened once more with that annoying little frown on his face that meant he was busy thinking up more stupid questions to slow everybody down. Before he could ask them, Lieutenant Abernathy handed him a stack of binders. "You'll be needin' to study these case histories," he said. "Why don't you take 'em back to your office, start reading and make a note of any questions you'd like me to answer later? I've got an appointment to get to." His eyes moved to the clock on the wall and then back to Lieutenant Fox's face.

"Okay, but...When will you be back? I'm sure I'll have quite a lot of questions after I read these."

"I'll be back when you least expect me, lad!" Lieutenant Abernathy replied enigmatically, forcing himself to smile. He scooped up his suit jacket and made for the door, the friendly expression falling instantly from his face the minute his back was to the irritatingly obtuse Lieutenant Fox.

He tried to be patient. Like all habitually impatient people, he was willing to pay lip service to the notion that patience was a virtue. And in some cases, it truly was, like with one's co-workers, for example. In others however, it just got in the way. Some people had no choice but to be patient in all areas of their lives, with the sloth, the ineptitude, the immorality, and the carelessness of their fellow human beings.

Circumstances, or more often, their own powerlessness compelled them to put up with it. But not he. Not in all areas of his life. Perhaps the Lord had been placing people with these disagreeable qualities in his path for a reason. Their number, regrettably, included his son. What a disappointment that lad had turned out to be. It was fit to break a parent's heart, it was. But, Mike thought to himself, if the Lord was indeed sending the slothful, the inept, the immoral and the careless to him on purpose, was it so that he could learn to engender patience within himself, or was it more so that he could use the force of his personality (and sometimes the force of his hand) to drive the foolishness and the self-indulgence out of these poor unfortunates? He rather thought it was the latter, although he would be the first to admit that he occasionally did go too far.

He felt a faint twinge of nervousness about how far overboard he had allowed himself to go the other night with that lad from the bus. Should that one put in a complaint, there could well be dire consequences. If Mr. Radley had any such notions, it would be best to pay him a little visit before he actually carried them out. Abernathy reached into his pocket and pulled out Alan Radley's driver's license. Fort Greene in Brooklyn. That was a nicer neighborhood than he would have thought. Ordinarily, he would have preferred to ask the Devils to send a couple of men to chat with him, but the surviving members of the Dyre Street Devils had other things on their minds since finding themselves plunged into war by the events of Wednesday night.

It looked as though he would have to take care of it himself. One for the road, as it were.

&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&

Detective Greenspan was looking somewhat crestfallen, but doing quite a valiant job of trying to hide it. "I see," she said. "Well, I hope you understand that I've still got to check it out. My superiors know about these photos, and they'll expect me to do my due diligence."

"Certainly," said Ryo politely.

"That's likely to eat up the rest of the weekend," said Dee smugly. "Lieutenant Abernathy sure handed you some 'busy-work' there. Don't let your other cases suffer because of it."

"Thank you, Detective Laytner, but I think I know how to manage my workload." She drained the last of her coffee and set down the cup. "May I have that last photo, please? I'll be more than happy to scan them all and email the images to you, but I do need to have the originals."

"What picture is that, Dee?" Ryo hadn't seen it yet because after Detective Greenspan's first attempt to get it back, his partner had tucked it into his clothes, and it was now nestled between his tank top and the loosely buttoned shirt he was wearing over it. Ryo reached for it and Dee let him take it.

Ryo felt a small stab of shock go through him when he saw the picture. This one wasn't like the others. There was no sign of Bikky. Carol wasn't in the picture either, nor were there any drug dealers or prostitutes. This picture was of Dee and himself, and was rather compromising, to say the least. He willed himself not to blush, but for the thousandth time, his body betrayed him.

It was a scene from Eddie's funeral; he recognized that point right away. The photo was a little fuzzy, as if it had been taken from a distance, and then blown up and cropped, but it was clear enough. In the picture, he stood in the circle of Dee's arm, with his head resting on his partner's shoulder. Dee's head was turned and the camera had caught him clearly pressing a kiss to Ryo's hair. Ryo looked up from his perusal of the photo to find Detective Greenspan's eyes on him.

"I _thought_ you would be embarrassed when you saw that one," she said, nodding knowingly. "I'll admit it gave me quite a start, too. For a couple of hours there... I thought...Well, I thought you might be _gay_ or something!" She emitted a little laugh, as if at her own folly. "But when I showed it to the Commissioner, he told me you had been wearing that suit and tie on the day of the funeral, and then, of course, everything made sense."

"It did?" asked Dee, genuinely interested to hear what she had to say next. "What did the Commissioner think about the gay theory?" He hoped Ryo wasn't quietly having an internal meltdown beside him.

"Oh well, he didn't really say anything about that," she said, glancing off to the right as she tried to recall his exact words. "He just pointed out that it was a funeral picture and remarked that there had probably been quite a bit of emotion in the air."

"There was," Ryo said shortly, and changed the subject. "Did Lieutenant Abernathy say where he got the photos?"

"All he would say was that one of his sources had voluntarily brought it to him, in the interests of seeing justice done. But he did have a thing or two to say about this particular picture," she added, changing the subject right back again.

"Was what he had to say something that sounded like bitchy personal gossip, or was it relevant to the case in some way?" Dee sprawled against the vinyl cushions of the booth, chewing lazily on the corner of a package of sugar, and watching her through half-lidded eyes.

"Well..." she looked slightly embarrassed. "I would think that whatever he had to say, we should examine it just in case it does have some relevance."

"How much did the Commissioner tell you about Lieutenant Abernathy?" Ryo asked shortly.

"How much do you think he told me?" she shot back.

Ryo and Dee glanced at each other sidelong for a moment before returning their eyes to her defiant face. The Commissioner obviously hadn't told her much. _In fact,_ Dee thought, _he probably just poured her wine and asked her to tell him all about herself. And she probably did, and enjoyed every minute of it._

"I think he told you to ask _us_ to fill you in," said Ryo. "Am I correct?"

"Well...yes. But he also told me that Lieutenant Abernathy was a 'person of interest' in one of your cases."

"Yup," said Dee. "And that's all you're gonna get for now, sister. It's our day off. Right, bud?"

"Right," said Ryo. "Detective Greenspan, I'm sure you're just as happy as I am to learn that there's an innocent explanation for my son's activities in these photos. Thank you very much for bringing them to my attention." He moved as if to stand up.

"You're...most welcome." She didn't look happy at all, but she stood up as well. "I'll call you in a couple of days regarding another questioning session for Bikky and Carol."

"I'd prefer to run that by my lawyer first," Ryo said. "I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, of course," she said a trifle stiffly, tucking the manila envelope back into her fashionable briefcase. She stepped out of the booth and looked over at the door, her lip between her teeth.

_Just go_, Dee thought.

She didn't. Instead she turned back towards them and took a deep breath. "Detective MacLean," she said quickly. "I have to know. Is what the lieutenant said true?"

Both men stared at her, Ryo looking uncomfortable and Dee looking disgusted. Finally, Ryo said, "Lieutenant Abernathy resents being a person of interest in one of our cases. I think he would say almost anything about me if he thought it would cause trouble for me."

"Well, I didn't believe him, of course," she said. "In spite of that...picture. I - I mean, look at you. You're just so normal! And... And you're a _father_!"

"Yup, he's a real man, all right," said Dee with a smirk. "How about me? Do I strike you as a real man? Am I normal?"

"I've heard all about _you_," she said with an unfriendly sniff. "And I have no problem believing it." She looked him up and down with faint contempt. "However, _you,_ Detective MacLean...It couldn't possibly be true." And then she stood there, blinking at him, waiting for him to either confirm or deny.

Ryo was caught off guard. Somehow he hadn't expected that this would happen so soon - that someone would point-blank try to nail him down about his sexual orientation. He found he wasn't ready with an answer. He reached for something neutral to say, but his mind went blank.

Dee stepped into the breach. "My partner here has to practically fight off the women with sticks. Why do you even care what gossip Abernathy is spreading about his sexual orientation?" he demanded. "I mean, what the hell business is it of yours? No one's walking up to you to ask if _you've_ ever had your face in a muff. We actually have more manners, believe it or not."

She flushed somewhat, but whether it was from Dee's extremely blunt language or from the sting of truth in his complaint about her manners, the two men couldn't be sure.

"Detective MacLean, I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you." She inclined her head to him, gravely. "I should never have questioned your manhood like that."

"Apology accepted," said Ryo a trifle stiffly, feeling giddy with relief. Thank God Dee had been there.

"I'll call you soon," she said. "Bye, now." Her face still red, she hastily exited the diner.

"Sit down, bro," said Dee. "Let's give her a head start."

"Good thinking," muttered Ryo, flopping back down onto the seat. He felt a knot of contrasting feelings welling up inside him. He couldn't deny that Detective Greenspan's insistent questioning had left him on edge.

Dot wandered over with the coffee pot. "More coffee, boys?"

"No thanks, just the tab, please," said Dee.

"It's on the house if you'll do one little thing for me," she said.

"What's that?"

Dot dropped her voice a couple of degrees lower. "Kiss his hair again, like you did in the photo, hon. That was so adorable. You guys make such a sweet couple."

"I'd love to," said Dee, "but only if he says it's okay."

"Dee! Ma'am, I don't think so. There are other people in the diner..." Ryo looked around nervously.

"Only old Tom Franken having soup over there at the counter. He's got his nose buried in the Times. The only other customers are in the booth by the door. They can't see you from there. And it's not like you're by a window or anything...."

Ryo looked from Dot's kind face to Dee's carefully neutral one. While Dot looked openly hopeful, Dee appeared to be totally nonchalant. However, Ryo thought there was something in the way he was averting his eyes as he fiddled with the sugar bowl that suggested otherwise. Ryo was conscious of a feeling of gratitude toward his partner, mixed with affection. Dee's support today had meant so much to him.

"What the hell," he said, shaking his head and grinning slowly at both of them. He felt suddenly reckless and he couldn't say why. Perhaps it was Detective Greenspan's thinly veiled homophobia, followed by Dot's whole-hearted approval of his relationship with Dee. Perhaps it was the knowledge that it was true that no one was looking, and probably no one would care... "C'mere, you," he murmured, taking a suddenly-wide-eyed Dee by the collar and pulling him close.

Dee felt Ryo's lips press against his and linger, trembling for a long heart-thudding moment. Then with the merest flick of tongue, he withdrew. Dee stared at Ryo in reverent amazement. "Baby," he whispered. He felt his eyes actually getting moist. Ryo had just kissed him in public. That was...That was huge.

Dot clapped her hands once, and emitted a soft squeal. "Aw," she said. "You two are so darling together." Fishing their bill out of the front pocket of her apron, she tore it in half and dropped the pieces on the table. "Make each other happy, okay? Work through the hard times together."

"We will," said Dee.

"We do," said Ryo.

"Oh my God," said Detective Greenspan's voice, unexpectedly. "He was _right_!"

She had come up on the other side of the booth without any of them noticing her.

Everyone's eyes swung in her direction. Her face was flushed and her mouth hung open in shock.

Ryo knew his own face must look somewhat the same, as he felt the blood rush to the surface of his skin. He hoped someone else would say something because his tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth. Once again, he felt Dee's thigh press hard against his, and he was reminded that he wasn't alone.

"Aw honey, didn't you know?" Dot was gazing at Detective Greenspan sympathetically.

The younger woman's eyes flashed dislike at her, before settling back on Ryo. "Apparently not," she said coldly.

"Don't worry dear. There are plenty more fish in the sea. I'm sure a pretty girl like you won't have any trouble at all finding a man."

Detective Greenspan ignored her and continued to glare haughtily at Ryo. "You might have told me," she said.

"Like I said earlier," Dee snapped, "what the hell business is it of yours?"

"Detective MacLean knows that I have been practically throwing myself at him for the past week," she said to Dee, her voice trembling. "He - you -" she transferred her attention to Ryo - "allowed me to make a fool of myself, all unknowing."

Ryo stared at her. She was angry with him because she had made a fool of herself? He was suddenly the bad guy? Women were so hard to understand sometimes. He realized he had to say something before Dee did. His partner was just opening his mouth to speak, and if he said something sarcastic to her right then, Ryo was afraid she might actually start crying. She was looking quite upset and she seemed like the type who would. He tapped Dee's foot with his own, sending his partner an unspoken message that he should keep quiet.

"Detective," Ryo said gently, "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I tried my best not to encourage you."

"But you could have _said_ something!" There was an unnaturally bright sheen to Detective Greenspan's eyes. "I - I certainly wouldn't have behaved that way if...well..." Her lip curled as an expression of disgust crept over her lovely features.

"If you had known I was taken? Or if you had known I was a _fag_?" Ryo asked sardonically, feeling a jolt of surprise go through Dee beside him.

"B-both," she said defiantly, "although I wouldn't have used that word, precisely. I'm sorry. I'm just disappointed that's all. You...You seemed so normal, so... nice."

Ryo maintained eye contact, although it was very difficult for him. "I'm still nice," he said. "And I'm pretty sure I'm normal. But I'm not exactly out of the closet." He couldn't believe these words were actually coming out of his mouth. "I didn't feel that I wanted to talk to you about my personal life, considering the extremely short nature of our acquaintance. I apologize if I've hurt your feelings, but I don't believe I should have to apologize for anything else."

She drew herself up. "Fine," she snapped. "You're right - Our acquaintance has been short, so I'm not as 'hurt' as you seem to think. I just find your evasive behavior...distasteful, that's all."

"Was there a reason why you came back?" queried Dee. "Some _professional_ reason, for a change?"

"Yes." Lifting her chin defiantly, she surveyed them both with contempt. "I wanted to get an email address to send the pictures to, that's all."

"Oh, well, let me give you my card," said Ryo, shifting to get his wallet out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He handed her a card and noticed that she took it almost reluctantly between her thumb and one finger as though it were hot, hesitating a moment before stuffing it into her briefcase.

"I'll be in touch," she said shortly, and left without looking at them.

"Whatever," called Dee after her.

The little bells on the door jingled as she left the diner for the second and hopefully last time, and Ryo felt a small measure of the tension she had caused leave him. He couldn't deny that her behavior was hurtful. No one had treated him like he had cooties since he was in grade school, where he had encountered a couple of kids who hadn't liked the fact that he was half Asian. The feeling he had had then - a feeling of being looked down upon and reviled - was much the same as the way that Detective Greenspan had just made him feel about his sexual orientation, even though there was a world of difference between the shy child he had been and the man he was now.

_But I chose this life when I chose Dee,_ he reminded himself, _and this is part of the cost._ He turned toward his partner and met his anxious look with a brave smile. Dee was worth it, a thousand times over.

"Well, she was a rude one, wasn't she?" Dot exclaimed, indignant on behalf of the nice gay couple in her restaurant. "I was feeling a little guilty about it before, but now I'm glad I gave her the full-calorie creamer!"

&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&

"How do you feel about Abernathy sending someone to follow Bikky with a camera?" Dee asked Ryo as they threaded their way through the Kinney parking lot.

"Well, that's a message in itself, isn't it?" Ryo said. "It doesn't surprise me at all. I've been waiting for him to pull something like this."

"As long as he doesn't take it any further," said Dee grimly.

"I don't think he will unless he's scared," Ryo said. "This was just a little message to let me know that he can find Bikky any time he wants. So far he hasn't done anything really serious, but if we start to make any real headway on this case, I'll have to make a decision about whether to send Bikky somewhere safe."

"Bikky would hate that."

"I know. So would I. But it's a gamble, keeping him here."

"And would he be safe, even in another state? Abernathy seems like a resourceful kind of asshole, not to mention ruthless."

"Well, there _is_ another option." Ryo looked at Dee as they walked, his expression unreadable.

"What's that?"

"We could drop the case." The words fell like a stone between them.

"That would suck."

"Yeah. I truly don't want to, but ever since Abernathy first approached Detective Greenspan about Bikky, I've been considering the possibility that it might come to that." Ryo glanced at Dee again, wishing he could see his eyes, but they remained hidden behind dark sunglasses. "How...how would you feel about that?"

Dee's head turned at the note of hesitance in Ryo's voice, and he looked full at him. "I'll tell you how I feel," he said. "Bikky's health, safety and happiness are more important than any career glory or personal satisfaction we could get from nailing Abernathy. Someone else can take over the case, someone without kids, if it comes to that."

"Thanks, Dee," Ryo said softly. "For now, we'll just continue the way we have been. I'm quite sure that if Abernathy gets nervous enough to constitute a real threat to Bikky, he'll give me some kind of verbal warning first."

"Yeah, he would," Dee agreed. "He's a talker, that guy. Of course," he added, "he might come after us, too."

"I know," said Ryo. "That was the message behind that last picture, the one of you and me."

"Tina sure wasn't happy about that one, but she didn't have to be such a pushy bitch about it. What a twat."

"Do you think she'll talk about us?" Ryo asked Dee.

"Probably. But at least she won't be able to flash the picture around." Dee pulled it out of the back of his jeans and waved it softly at Ryo, a grin on his face.

Ryo smiled back. "I know it's totally out of character for me to say this, but _thank you_ for stealing it. I just hope she didn't scan the photos before she came here."

"I don't think so, because she offered to scan them for us, remember?" This time, Dee put the photo inside his black tank top, close to his heart.

"I hope you're right. But I think she'll still want to complain to her co-workers about how ungrateful, uncooperative and downright gay we are."

"Well, I think we may as well add the 99th to the list of precincts that think we're all gay down at the 27th," Dee remarked pragmatically. "Let's not tell Drake or Ted, though." They had reached the car, and he glanced at his partner's profile, searching for a clue as to what his feelings were about Tina and her snarky little melodramatic scene in the diner. "Listen, about what she said back there...Don't take it to heart, or anything. There's always gonna be people like her, and unfortunately, we sometimes have to work with them. She's one of the 'civilized' homophobes. In a way, they're almost worse than the ones who wanna beat us up."

"No, I think the ones with guns are worse," said Ryo with a quick smile and a glance at Dee. Then he looked away as he opened the passenger side door and got into the car.

There had been a hint of sadness in his eyes, and it made Dee want to find Tina, pick her up by the scruff of her neck, and toss her into the East River. And her stupid briefcase after her.

"Well, maybe they are," he retorted, as he started the engine, "but at least you can fucking shoot them."

"Dee, I wouldn't want to shoot Detective Greenspan. She's not all bad. Just lonely, I think."

"She's more than just lonely," muttered Dee around the cigarette clamped between his lips as he started navigating their way out of the parking lot. "She's her own worst enemy. But at least she's got hotness goin' for her."

"Oh?" said Ryo, folding his arms and turning piercing eyes on Dee.

"C'mon, don't tell me you haven't noticed," said Dee, with an amused glance at Ryo. "The Commissioner obviously has. He'll be buying her lingerie before the weekend is out. As long as she doesn't find out that he likes to suck dick, they'll keep each other busy for a while."

"That reminds me. We have to talk to him. I want her cleared from Helen's list before I trust her with a damned thing. And I want to know exactly what he told her about our investigation of Abernathy."

"Fair enough," said Dee. "But not today, okay?"

To Dee's surprise and delight, Ryo reached over and ran his hand up Dee's thigh from knee to groin. "Not today, he agreed. "Today is for us."

Dee stepped on the gas.

&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&:&

~end of Chapter 41~

Additional author's notes: Good news: Chapter 42 contains a big fat lemon. _More_ good news: It's on my LJ _right now_! To find it, go to my profile page on this site and click the link for my website. Alternatively, you could wait until I post the next chapter here on FF-dot-net, but by then, it'll have most of the sex taken out because this site doesn't permit graphic sex scenes. The choice is yours. It's nice to have choices.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	42. Chapter 42

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_By Brit Columbia_

Chapter 42

_Fandom: _ Fake

_Pairing: _ Dee/ Ryo

_Rating: _ Mature because I took most of the sex out. However, it's still not worksafe! We still have a highly sexual situation between two men who are in a loving relationship. There is also some violence in this chapter, but it doesn't involve Dee or Ryo.

_Spoilers_: To Volume 7

_Timing: _ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary:_ Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Lieutenant Abernathy is mine however, along with Detective Fox, Detective Greenspan, Alan Radley and his grandmother. I have not based these characters on any living person.

_Author's notes:_ I believe in a strong and equal Ryo and Dee. It was the FAKE 2nd Chances RPG which inspired the striptease. If you ever want to check out the RPG, you can find it in the sidebar of my Livejournal.

_Thank you_ to mtemplar and the_ladyfeather

**A New Day**

_Chapter 42_

"Dee! Stop eating the cold cuts! If you give me two seconds, I can get them in a sandwich for you." Ryo glared at his partner, who was cramming slices of smoked turkey into his mouth.

Dee mumbled something unintelligible and grabbed the pickle jar off the end of the counter before disappearing into the living room.

Ryo shook his head impatiently and resumed making sandwiches. Whole wheat bread, meat slices, pickles--no, not pickles, since they had been abducted-- sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, mayo--

"I thought you wanted lunch," protested Ryo, as Dee reappeared, still chewing, and took the mayonnaise jar out of his hand before replacing it on the counter.

Dee didn't respond. He just stared at Ryo for a moment with an expression that Ryo knew well. Before he could think of anything to say, Ryo found himself seized and slammed back against the fridge, which seemed to rock under the sudden pressure. The force of it sent the heavier magnets sliding and coupons fluttering, although at least one of the magnets, a particularly lumpy one, seemed to lodge itself in the center of his back. Ryo immediately scrabbled frantically behind himself with his left hand and dislodged it. Dee didn't notice.

"Hey! D--" Ryo began to protest, but his voice was stilled by the sensation of Dee's teeth fastening onto the skin and muscle at the side of his neck. He could feel his lover beginning to suck a mark there, and a long, shaky breath escaped him at the tingling burn of it. His fingers spasmed on the handle of the mayonnaise knife, and a moment later it clattered onto the floor, unheeded by his partner, who was now licking a hot, wet trail firmly up his neck to his ear. "Dee," he repeated in a breathless and futile attempt to sound calm and normal, "let me go, for Pete's sake! You don't have to seduce me. I'm all for the plan. Lunch and then sex. Remember the plan?"

Half-closed but alert green eyes glanced Ryo's way for a moment before Dee started nuzzling Ryo's throat. "New plan," he muttered. "Sex first, then lunch."

"Easy for you to say," muttered Ryo resentfully. "You've had half the turkey and most of the pickles. I haven't eaten anything."

Dee looked somewhat chagrined, but the intent look never left his face.

"Are you hungry, love?" he murmured, kissing Ryo's mouth lightly, but with a little parting nibble before he disengaged. "You want a sandwich?"

"Well, yeah," said Ryo, whose eyes had slid to Dee's withdrawing mouth. "Early breakfast, you know..."

"Here, eat this." Dee reached over to his right and picked up one of the sandwich halves that Ryo had made, and waved it under Ryo's nose. It was laden with turkey and greens and slices of juicy red tomato. Despite himself, Ryo inhaled the scent of it appreciatively.

Dee gave him an encouraging smile, and for a moment he imagined that Ryo had showed signs of being tempted. But then his partner seemed to collect himself. He turned his face aside and looked at Dee disapprovingly.

"I don't want to eat it standing up and squished against the fridge! Whatever happened to sitting down at the table and eating a meal like civilized people?"

"That's what people do when they're not horny as hell and constantly being interrupted. Besides, I'm not civilized." Dee ground his crotch in a slow circle against Ryo's, unashamed of the hot, heavy erection between his legs. "C'mon, eat your sandwich and after you're done, I'll throw you down on the kitchen table and fuck you on it." He grinned, not only because Ryo was blushing, but because he could feel his partner's cock starting to stiffen against his own.

"What, you never had sex on the kitchen table before?" Dee poked the sandwich against Ryo's firmly closed lips, leaving a trace of mayonnaise behind.

Ryo's only answer was to raise a hand to take the sandwich, but Dee knocked his arm down with his other hand. "Uh-uh, no you don't. Lemme feed you." He leaned in and licked the mayonnaise off his partner's mouth. "In between kisses, of course..."

"You're-- mmph--" Whatever Ryo had been about to say was forgotten amidst the sweet magic of Dee's lips and tongue. Without words, Dee let him know how much he wanted and desired him, and how very soon he intended for them both to be naked.

When Dee pulled back, Ryo emitted a little gasp and tried to follow his lover's mouth with his own. He was met by the sandwich.

"Open up, babe. Let's get some sustenance into you. You're gonna need all your strength to keep up with me this afternoon."

"Me?" Ryo's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I'm not the one who got himself shot and knocked out only one short week ago, remember. In fact--mmph!"

Dee had managed to get a corner of the sandwich stuffed partially inside Ryo's mouth, and Ryo realized his best course of action was actually to stop talking and start eating. Accordingly, he took a small bite and chewed it slowly while glaring at Dee.

Dee rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, I keep forgetting what a slow eater you are. You don't have to chew every bite fifty-three times, you know."

Ryo chewed a few more times and then swallowed. As he opened his mouth to retort, the sandwich was once more thrust between his lips. He had no choice but to bite it again.

"Seven, eight, nine..." Dee counted, watching Ryo's mouth closely.

Ryo stopped chewing long enough to mumble, "Quit watching me eat!" He could sense his cheeks getting warm again, and he felt just about ready to shove Dee away.

"Why? You're cute when you eat. Twelve, thirteen, forty-one...and he swallows!"

"Dee, back off," growled Ryo warningly. If Dee stuffed that sandwich into his mouth again, he was going to be sorry.

"Kiss-break," announced Dee and nibbled the other side of Ryo's neck. To his delight, it made Ryo quiver, as usual. His partner's neck was a major erogenous zone, and Dee knew that if he could get his lips and teeth on it whenever Ryo was feeling peeved or stressed about something, it would have him moaning and shivering in practically no time.

"Dee...Oh, jeez....Don't mark me there too, okay? Mmmm..." He couldn't help writhing sensuously against his partner's long, lean body.

"Why not?" Dee's voice was husky against the lobe of his ear. "I'll mark you under your collar line. No one will see."

"Bikky will see. And my whole Karate class tonight." Ryo moaned softly as he felt Dee's teeth gently moving along the line of his jaw.

"Bikky will understand," Dee whispered teasingly. "And your Karate class will be happy for you that you're finally getting some action after not showing up with signs of love on your body for, like three fucking years..."

"Dee, Bikky will NOT understand! And I really don't want my Karate classmates to spend so much as one second speculating about my sex life! How can you even--mmph!"

Dee's lips had once more descended upon his, preventing him from finishing his sentence. Ryo felt a hot flicker of tongue asking for entrance. He found he didn't have it in him to refuse it, and a moment later, Dee's tongue was sliding hotly into his mouth. Ryo kissed him back hard, struggling for dominance as their tongues nudged each other aggressively.

Dee withdrew again, licking his lips mischievously. "Mmmm, turkey," he said.

Ryo flushed bright red all the way down to his neck and under the collar of his shirt. His eyes flashed and his palm shot out, catching Dee in the center of his chest and moving him back a couple of paces. "That's enough!" he said, and pointed imperiously at the table. "We're sitting down to eat right now, and after we do, I think I might just brush my teeth!"

"But you... taste good," protested Dee weakly, already regretting the crack about the turkey. Until he had gone that one step too far, he had had Ryo on the verge of capitulation. He sat down warily at the kitchen table, ready to do whatever Ryo wanted for the time being.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Lieutenant Mike Abernathy buzzed the number for Alan Radley's apartment, and a woman's voice answered. She sounded old and tired.

"Good morning, ma'am," he said. "Police. Would you mind buzzing me up?"

"P-police?" The tiredness suddenly left her voice, replaced by dismay and alarm. "What's this about?"

"I'm looking for an Alan Radley," he said into the intercom. "The hospital told me he'd been discharged. It's customary for us to investigate matters of alleged assault."

"Oh! Well... I'm not sure now is a good time, officer," she said hesitantly. "You see, he's sleeping. He was in a lot of pain and they sent him home with something that would help him with that."

"May I come in anyway? I'd like to chat with you for a minute and perhaps leave my card."

"Well... I don't see why not, although there's not much I can tell you."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&.

An elderly African-American woman leaning on a walker answered the door. She was small and prune-like, and peered up at him through thick glasses that made her anxious eyes seem unnaturally huge.

"You don't look like a police officer," she remarked suspiciously.

Mike duly flashed her his badge, along with a perfunctory smile. "That's because I'm a plainclothes officer now, ma'am. Me uniform days are long behind me."

"Oh, yes of course. Like a lot of those TV cops," she said, nodding her grizzled head. "Well, come in, then. I hope this won't take long. My soap's coming on in about ten minutes."

"Thank you, not long at all," he said shortly and stepped carefully past the old biddy and her walker. A short, dim hallway led onto a cozily furnished but old-fashioned living room, complete with crocheted end-table covers and framed needlepoint pictures on the walls. A large, modern, flat-screened TV, incongruous amidst the shabby furnishings and old-lady clutter, energetically flashed images and color from a corner. Mike noted that the sound had been muted, perhaps in honor of his 'police' visit, or maybe it was so as not to disturb the convalescing Mr. Radley. The lieutenant's eyes swept around the apartment looking for doors. He had passed one in the hall on the way in, which he had taken for a bathroom, and now he saw a short hallway leading off the kitchen. There would be bedrooms over that way, he'd wager. That would be where he would find the troublesome Mr. Radley.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&.

Dee sat at the kitchen table, drinking mineral water and wondering what was going through his partner's mind. Ryo suddenly seemed self-conscious, even a little irritable, which was quite a big change from the desire-filled creature he had been only five or so minutes ago when he had been panting against Dee's neck, his dick hard in his pants.

Now, unfortunately, there seemed to be a distance between them. Ryo was eating his sandwich, seemingly with great concentration, as though sex were the furthest thing from his mind. Every so often, he glanced Dee's way, his eyes bright with suspicion, his guard obviously up. He appeared to be expecting an attack momentarily.

Dee briefly considered fulfilling his partner's expectations for him in one mad, condiment-scattering lunge, but dismissed the idea. Something was up with Ryo, and he wasn't sure what it was, but he had a sense that his partner didn't want to be manhandled right at the moment.

Before he could think through the matter further, his cell phone startled him by ringing loudly in the front pocket of his jeans.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, digging it out. "If that's the Chief, I'm telling him we both have the fucking stomach flu-- ah, it's Ted. He'd better not want anything from us that involves work. Yo, Ted! What the fuck do you want?"

"Nothing, asshole. I just thought I'd be a nice guy and give you an update on developments with Shaver. But if it's too much trouble--"

"Just fucking spit it out, wouldya? Did you go to his place?"

"Yeah, man. Guess where I am right now? Been stuck here for an hour. It's a washout. Place is not only empty, but swabbed out and disinfected, too. The manager said he evicted him as of the 31st."

"That's right, he did," said Dee remembering the aftermath of Essien Ibo's visit to Shaver last Monday. "I didn't think he was serious though."

"He said Shaver told him he wouldn't fight it."

"Did you get CSI in?"

"Nope. Shaver's lieutenant from the 51st wanted to, but the Commish pulled official word is that CSI resources are spread too thin to call 'em in on something that ain't a murder scene. Chief told us to look for traces of gunpowder, diesel, crap like that. But apparently a team from Momma-Maids went through this place yesterday and scrubbed everything squeaky clean. We're waiting on them now."

"You go through the dumpster yet?"

"You won't believe this, but apparently it's garbage day in the South Bronx! The trucks have been and gone."

"Fuck, lucky you, huh?" Dee had had to sort through a few garbage dumpsters in his time with the NYPD. A couple of times, it must have been the day before garbage day, because the dumpsters had been full to overflowing. That had sucked big time. Searching dumpsters was his least favorite way of collecting evidence.

"Well, I dunno," Ted replied. "We're scared the Chief's gonna send us to Harlem River Rail Yard to pick through a mountain of garbage. If that happens, we are so screwed. JJ will probably freak out, 'cause he's got a hot date tonight that he won't shut up about."

Dee laughed. "I bet you a case of beer that if the Chief sends you garbage-digging, the Commish will say no to that one, too."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Shaver's a dead hero and Rose wants him to stay that way."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&.

Ryo returned from the bathroom looking a little self-conscious. Dee was waiting for him, sprawled in his chair with a toothpick in his mouth. One booted foot rested comfortably on Ryo's chair. He almost wanted to laugh at the way Ryo's slightly uncertain expression changed to a small frown of disapproval at the sight of Dee's foot in a place where it shouldn't be.

"Dude, I can so read your mind."

"You can not." Ryo pushed Dee's foot off his chair and sat down.

"Yes, I can. Want me to tell you what you're thinking?"

Ryo leaned back in his chair, trying to look nonchalant. Even if Dee was right, he planned to deny it. "Give it your best shot, Detective Laytner."

Dee held up three fingers. "One: you're wondering about the kitchen table as a potential sex location, but you think the dirty dishes ought to go in the sink first, and maybe the table ought to be wiped down, too. Two: you're not one hundred percent sure the kitchen table can take it without collapsing under us, and three: above all, you're worried about the neighbors, since the door's right over there."

Dee raised his eyebrows and grinned in a way that Ryo found infuriating. Or endearing. One of those two. He couldn't help laughing. "Dee, you're something else. Have you always been this cocky?"

"Yeah, but it definitely got worse after puberty. You wanna take a shot at guessing what I'm thinking?"

Ryo snorted. "Gee, like that's gonna be a challenge."

Dee tossed his toothpick on the table and leaned forward in his seat. "Okay, fine, you don't wanna guess. I'll tell ya. I'm thinking you're not totally down with me being my usual, pushy, hot-to-trot self today. The anticipation's kinda got you on edge."

Surprised, Ryo opened his mouth to deny it, but then realized that Dee had a point. "Well... maybe a little. Maybe we could just, um, slow down a bit?"

"Sure, babe. We can slow it down as much as you want. See, I been thinking.... It's always me grabbing you, me kissing you, me trying to feel you up, right?"

"Er, right."

"You never get to initiate things because I'm always right there ahead of you, trying to drag your pants off before you've even decided if you're horny or not."

Ryo didn't know what to say. It was true. He was willing to admit that he had been very passive so far in this relationship. Now, although Dee was rather tactfully putting the blame on himself, his partner was obviously wanting him to take a more active role. And of course his face was getting hot again, naturally. Damn it. The fact that he tended to blush at inconvenient moments was one of the few constants among all the unpredictable events of his life so far.

"I..." he began, and then took a deep breath before continuing, a trifle stiffly. "I take it you're wanting me to initiate things from now on?"

"Naw, sweetheart, you're getting the wrong idea. I'm not complaining. I'm a man who's living his dream come true." Dee reached across the table and took one of Ryo's hands in both of his. "And believe me, the reality of sex with you has been twice as hot as my hottest fantasies. I'll gladly seduce you every day for the rest of your life, if that works for you. And if I could get away with it," he added, running his fingers over Ryo's palm, pressing gently into the pad at the base of his thumb, and then moving over to the back of his hand to trace the row of knuckles. "I just thought... you might like to, you know, for your own sake, sometimes be the one to get the ball rolling. Once in a while you act like that might be what you want, but then I end up pulling you along with me at my pace."

He regarded the strong, masculine hand he was holding, and then looked into Ryo's eyes. "Am I making any sense at all, or am I just making a hash of this?"

Ryo tugged his hand out from both of Dee's and gave one of his partner's hands an affectionate squeeze. "I think I understand," he said. "You're offering to hold still for a while and try to control yourself so that I can...touch you in ways that I want without expecting that any moment you're going to throw me up against the fridge or down on the table."

"Yeah," said Dee, nodding and grinning. "Yeah. Pretty much. I don't know how long I can be a good boy, though, so don't take too long."

"Okay," said Ryo. "But don't distract me by talking. No smart-ass remarks, all right?"

"You mean I should be a good boy _and_ keep my mouth shut? Only for you, babe. Only for you."

Ryo gave him a doubtful look, so Dee added, "Shutting up now."

Ryo rose and pulled Dee to his feet. "Let's go to the bedroom," he said.

Dee let Ryo lead him into the bedroom by the hand. His eyes were glued to Ryo's small, muscular ass cheeks as they moved inside the confines of the thin fabric of his slacks. It was showtime. Finally.

Dee nodded approvingly as Ryo locked the bedroom door. Even though they were alone in the apartment, he considered that a very wise precaution to take. Sure, the monkey brat was supposed to be at school, but hell, the little twerp had more or less made a career of popping up at inconvenient moments. And then there had been that time when not only Bikky, but also JJ had burst into this very bedroom and caught Dee on top of a partially clothed Ryo. If possible, JJ had seemed more traumatized than Bikky over the incident, but Bikky had been so focused on Carol and the danger she was in, that for once, he hadn't really taken in the details of what the two men had been doing. It had been a long time before Dee had been able to get Ryo to agree to another 'test drive' after that.

Stay there," Ryo said to Dee, and then crawled across the bed to lower the blind at the window. Suddenly the room was dimmer and they had total privacy.

When Ryo turned back to him, there was a new look on his face, one that Dee couldn't define. He waited, his eyes burning into Ryo's.

_Come here and touch me_, he thought, hoping that Ryo would somehow get his silent message. _Don't make me wait._

Ryo didn't. He eased himself off the bed and walked slowly and deliberately toward Dee. He stopped a couple of feet in front of him, and Dee saw those dark eyes give him an appreciative once-over before Ryo reached out a hand to caress Dee's hard chest. Dee closed his eyes for a moment and covered Ryo's hand with his own as it roamed from one pectoral to the other, and down over his tautly muscled belly. He was acutely aware of Ryo's nearness, his scent, his body heat, the hunger in his eyes. Dee's skin felt electrified under his clothing. The fabric of his black tank top bunched slightly under Ryo's hand as it moved over his body, and he was conscious of a longing to be naked. He thought about starting to take his clothes off, but rejected the idea. He had agreed to let Ryo set the pace. For all he knew, maybe Ryo wanted to undress him himself.

Ryo moved out from in front of Dee, trailing his hand firmly over Dee's non-injured side before stepping behind him and pressing up against his back. His penis was getting hard in his pants, and he wondered if Dee's was, too. When he slid his hand down to cup Dee's package, a jolt went though Dee, and Ryo heard him suck his breath in sharply. Dee's penis was not merely hard, it was rock hard and ready. Dee's compact buttocks felt muscular and yet yielding against his groin, and Ryo rubbed his erection against them boldly.

This was not the first time he had actively touched Dee in a sexual way with foreplay on his mind. About a week ago, he had massaged, stroked, kissed and touched his lover all over before taking his penis in his mouth and sucking him to completion. Ryo's motivation had been different at that time. He hadn't really been in a sexual kind of mood. His feelings had been more centered around relief and gratitude that Dee had not been killed by the crazy skinhead who had shot him the night before. If the decision had been Ryo's, he would actually rather have just cuddled. But he had found it necessary to promise Dee a blowjob earlier in the day to get him to cooperate at the hospital, and Dee was adamantly determined to collect, especially once Bikky had gone out to start collecting funeral money. While massaging Dee, Ryo had enjoyed feeling like he was in charge for once, and he knew there was no danger of Dee leaping up and throwing him down because his partner was not only recovering from having been shot, but also suffering from the aftereffects of a concussion.

Ryo had given him pleasure with no expectation that the favor would be returned. He just wanted to do what he could for Dee to ensure that he got as good a night's sleep as possible. Dee, however, had insisted on being allowed to reciprocate sexually. Ryo, who had known he was in no shape for it, tricked him into submitting to another massage, in the middle of which, Dee had fallen asleep.

Now, he smiled against the back of Dee's neck and stroked his lover's penis where it strained against his jeans. He had every intention of sucking it for Dee again, and despite his desire to experience having the upper hand for a while longer, he also had every intention of opening his legs for it later. He had been thinking about it since he woke up this morning.

My lover is a _man_, he thought, as he anticipated the pleasure that no woman could give him.

Dee tilted his head back against Ryo's. "Baby...?" he whispered. "Can I open my pants?"

"Oh, you can do more than that," said Ryo, continuing to stroke his partner's rigid member. "I want you to undress yourself. Now, please."

"Hot damn!" Dee's hands flew to his button and zipper, but faltered when Ryo stopped him with his hand.

"No," said Ryo. "Not like that. Slowly. Stay where you are, okay?" He moved out from behind Dee and strolled over to the bed as casually as he could, despite having a hard-on in his own pants that was making walking difficult for him. He eased himself down in a comfortable position on the bed and let his eyes roam over Dee's broad-shouldered form once more.

Dee stood there waiting, his hands still on the fastening of his jeans. Ryo was acting calm and imperturbable, but Dee would have staked his bottom dollar on it being an act. His beloved was a little nervous, but he was also undeniably aroused, if that tent-pole in the front of his pants was anything to go by. But in addition to that, it was quite clear that Ryo wanted something, and he thought he knew what it was. He would do anything for Ryo, and it seemed like right now what Ryo wanted was to watch him take his clothes off.

"Slowly?" he repeated.

Ryo nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Do it...sexy."

Dee stared at him in amazement for a moment. Ryo had just said the word 'sexy'! He was pretty sure he had never heard his partner utter that word before. And Ryo seemed to want him to...

"Just so I got this straight," he said, "are you asking me to perform a striptease?"

"Yes," said Ryo huskily.

"If I perform a striptease for you, will you do the same for me sometime?"

"No." Ryo shook his head with no trace of hesitation. "Sorry."

"Well, what makes you think I can actually do this?"

"I heard about the fundraiser for the K9 unit in Brooklyn," Ryo said, still in that same husky voice, "in your second year with the force. So I know you can do it."

Dee tried, he really tried to prevent himself from smirking, but the urge to smirk got the better of him. "All right then," he said. "But if I do this for you, keeping in mind that it's without important props like music and tearaway pants, can I please get back in the driver's seat again?"

Ryo smiled at him, a sex-charged smile. "I'll think about it," was the only answer he gave. "Now strip for me."

Dee grinned at him and started swaying on his feet, his hands still on the button of his jeans. "I didn't take it all off for the fundraiser, you know," he said. "Plus I didn't go all out because I knew a few wives of the brass were watching. But for you, I'm gonna do the sexed-up version." With a flick of his wrist, he opened the button fastening of his jeans and loosened the zipper a shade, just to give himself a bit of room to move.

The first thing he took off was the blue shirt, which hung open on his chest. He didn't have to unbutton it because he had already done that when he had entered the apartment with Ryo. But he moved his shoulders in it seductively, slipping it down over first one, then the other, while looking back at Ryo with wickedness in his eyes. When he finally removed it, he let it dangle by one sleeve and played with it as though it were a feather boa. He draped it around his neck and tossed his head flirtatiously at Ryo before turning around and pulling it back and forth in a 'flossing' motion from crotch to out-thrust ass.

Ryo fell back on the bed laughing at the sight, and laughed even harder when the blue shirt sailed through the air and landed on his face. When he looked back at Dee, Dee was dancing with his hands inside his tank top, one going down the scoop neckline and the other one coming up underneath. He caressed his own chest and stomach while smirking lazily at Ryo.

"Bet you wish these were _your_ hands on this hot bod, hey babe?"

"Soon, it will be my hands," Ryo informed him, and then held up a warning finger. "No! Not yet. Don't stop dancing. This is the best show ever."

"Well, as long as you're enjoying yourself." Dee slid his tank top up so that one pectoral was completely exposed. He began to roll and pinch his nipple while caressing his still-erect cock through his jeans with his other hand, a combination that seemed almost to wipe the smirk from his face. He kept dancing in a sultry way throughout.

When Dee had teasingly lifted the tank top and let it fall several times, he finally deemed it time to bare his chest altogether. He pulled the tight fitting shirt up and over his head, shaking his hair back out of his eyes when he had done so. He twirled the tank top around his head like a lasso before tucking it through the center belt loop on the back of his jeans.

Before Ryo had time to wonder what he was doing, Dee had turned around and started undulating his behind so that the tank top attached to the back of his pants swished like a tail. Then he swung it in a circular motion, grinning back at Ryo, his hands on either side of his head. Ryo rolled onto his belly, shaking with laughter. He hadn't known it was possible to be so amused and yet so aroused at the same time. He couldn't help grinding his erection into the mattress as he watched Dee's antics.

His partner had a very sexy body, and he knew how to move it. He danced with self-assurance and playfulness, leaving Ryo shaking his head with admiration. He never could have done such a thing, never. Not even to save his life. He could have either danced or taken off his clothes, but he didn't think he would ever be able to do both at the same time, especially as some kind of show. And how did Dee think up all these imaginative moves? Even with time to consider it, Ryo didn't think he could have come up with more than one or two ideas.

No, he was certainly never going to perform a striptease for Dee, but he was going to make sure Dee danced like this again for him soon. Perhaps even with music and those tearaway pants Dee had mentioned.

As Ryo watched, Dee dropped down gracefully to the floor, where he lay on his back, thrusting first his chest and then his hips into the air, while caressing his bare torso boldly. Stroking his hand slowly up and down his penis, he raised his legs into the air, and using the toe of one foot against the heel of the other, he eased his boots off smoothly, one by one. When they were off, he rose fluidly to his feet and pulled the zipper of his jeans all the way down. A tantalizing glimpse of dark, tufty hair appeared, which caused Ryo to smile wryly because it meant that Dee was not wearing underwear, a sometime habit of his that Ryo disapproved of. He craned forward, hoping to catch sight of something more. However, the real prize, the bulging length of Dee's cock, remained obscured, still held in place by his hand.

Dee turned around, hips rotating slowly, and let the jeans fall halfway down the crack of his athletic ass a couple of times, jerking them up again, before letting them fall even lower the next time. Then he turned back to face Ryo again and peeled his denims down over his hips, proudly displaying his erection while continuing to dance. There was a slight flush to his cheeks and a sparkle in his eye. His teeth looked very white as he flashed a confident grin at Ryo.

Ryo sighed and stared at him. "Ah, Dee," he said. "I can't believe you're mine."

Dee's flush deepened somewhat, but he never broke eye contact with Ryo as he sensually pushed his jeans down over the front of his thighs, finally stepping out of them and kicking them away. He stood straight and tall with his hands on his hips, a vision of exhibitionistic male beauty. "Well? Good?"

"Magnificent," agreed Ryo, applauding from where he lay on his belly.

"Okay, baby, time's up. The captain's back on the bridge and he's got a date with that hot little ass of yours. Let's get you naked." Dee strode toward the bed, his erection bobbing.

Laughing, Ryo allowed Dee to undress him, which he did efficiently and expeditiously. When all of Ryo's clothes right down to his socks had been removed and tossed onto the floor, Dee lowered his long, powerful body onto Ryo's, emitting a sensual groan as he felt their dicks rub against each other. "Finally, _finally_," he breathed, moving against Ryo's maleness. "Gonna fuck you, Ryo. Gonna fuck you hard for making me wait."

"Yes," murmured Ryo, kissing his face. "Yes, do it. But first, I...I..."

"What?" Dee kissed his mouth, giving him a little tongue, a little nibble.

"I want to...you know..."

"Aw, sweetheart, you don't have to," Dee said affectionately, correctly guessing what Ryo was most likely referring to. He knew that sucking dick was not Ryo's favorite thing at all, but he was touched and grateful that his partner desired to give him pleasure in that way.

"But I want to," Ryo replied, and then surprised Dee by adding, "I, um, thought about it in the shower this morning."

Intrigued, Dee stared at him. "You did? Really?" His baby was full of surprises today.

"Yeah." Ryo lowered his eyes.

"I gotta know. Did you beat off while you were thinking about it?"

Ryo's eyes flew open. "Wha--? That's none of your business!"

"Sure it is. See, if you jerked off in the shower this morning, you've taken some pressure off, which means you're gonna take a little longer to unload, whereas if you didn't...well, that means you're not gonna last as long once I get busy with you. That's valuable intel for the guy who's in charge of satisfying you." Dee continued to rub his cock against his lover's. His slit was weeping, and making Ryo's length all sexy-sticky.

"While I appreciate the fact that you've taken on the job of satisfying me, what a man does or doesn't do in the shower is his own business," Ryo said firmly, if a little breathlessly, rubbing back against Dee.

Dee chuckled against Ryo's hair. "I'll get you talking dirty yet, you know," he murmured, reaching under Ryo to grip one of his buttocks and subtly change the angle of contact between their bodies.

"Don't hold your bre--" Ryo gasped softly as the tip of Dee's cock pressed even more insistently against his own, and rode up the length of it to the sensitive spot under its head.

"Feels good, huh? Like that?"

Ryo just moaned and moved against him.

Dee chuckled. "Sweetheart, I appreciate your very sweet offer, but could I get a raincheck on the blowjob until a little later?"

"Um...sure," Ryo got out.

"It's just that I wanna do you face to face, wanna be inside you, ASAP." He squeezed Ryo's buttock again and looked down into his eyes. "I love watching your face while you take it, baby."

Ryo nodded and met his eyes. His heart was beating fast, his penis was leaking preseminal fluid all over the place, and he felt a hungry ache of anticipation down below his balls. The most private, personal part of his anatomy wanted to have a dick shoved up it. He couldn't believe that a couple of months ago, he had been scared and appalled at the very thought, whereas now he seemed to have become addicted.

Ryo ran his hands up and down Dee's body as Dee reached over to the nightstand to fetch the lube. "Dee, you feel so good," he whispered.

"I'm all about feeling good." Dee pushed the nightstand drawer closed and raised himself up from Ryo's body, the tube of lubricant in his hand. "Now spread 'em, sweetheart. I want in."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&.

When it was finished, Dee wrapped his arms tightly around Ryo and closed his eyes at the blissful sensation of his lover's hand tenderly stroking his hair. He must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he knew, Ryo was stirring under him and nibbling his ear.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," said Ryo with a soft chuckle. "What was that you were saying earlier about how I was going to need all my strength to keep up with you this afternoon?"

"Huh?" Dee blinked at him sleepily, but in the next moment Ryo shifted under him again, and Dee's mind returned to full alertness at the realization that Ryo's dick was hard again and was twitching hopefully between their still-sticky bellies. He reached down between their bodies and took hold of it before kissing Ryo's cheek.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" he said with a smile.

"Oh, I think so, maybe once or twice." Ryo was grinning at him. "But you haven't said it for a couple of days, so I was beginning to think you'd stopped."

"Never," said Dee fiercely. He knew his partner was joking, but the very idea that he could ever stop loving Ryo was absolutely alien to him. "I'll never stop loving you, no matter what. Even if you break my heart." He looked away for a moment and then looked back trying to summon up his usual jaunty smirk. "And by the way, please don't break my heart, all right?"

Ryo was not fooled by the smirk. He understood that in spite of the short nap, Dee was still in that post-sex emotional state that he was frequently subject to, and that humor was not the best way to handle him at the moment.

"I won't break your heart," he said softly. "It's _mine_ and I take care of what's mine."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&.&.

"Officer, would you like a glass of lemonade?"

Mike turned around to see the old girl staring earnestly at him through those heavy glasses of hers.

"Yes ma'am, that's surely most kind of you," he said, producing another of his casual smiles. "Here, let me give you a hand."

Overriding her protests, he strode into the kitchen ahead of her. Once there, he began opening one cupboard after another, hunting for glasses, and occasionally glancing down the hallway at the two bedroom doors. One of them was closed.

"Officer, please...let me do it! I'm perfectly capable, you know."

Well, and it's not that I'm doubting you, Mrs...?" Mike set a glass on the arborite counter, followed by another one.

"Mrs. Wright is my name, sir. And you are...?"

He ignored her question. "Alan is one lucky man to have you takin' care of him," he remarked. "Living in a nice place like this, with lemonade and home cooking, probably." His easy smile was still in place. A smile and some friendly banter usually smoothed the way.

"Oh well, I'm afraid I'm not much for cooking anymore. It's Alan who does most of the cooking now. He's a good boy, never any trouble." She shook her head sadly. "I just can't believe someone would do this to him. And a police officer, too! Alan thinks that race was an issue in this case, and it certainly seems that way to me, too."

"Well, that's what we want to find out about, Mrs. Wright. I'll be wanting to take a statement from him at some point. Did he tell you what happened?" He stepped around her and opened the fridge. Sure enough, there was a clear plastic pitcher of lemonade there with lemon rings floating in it.

"Not much so far. I wasn't able to meet him at the hospital, and we only talked briefly after he came home because of the medication he was on. He believes it started out as a case of mistaken identity. He also believes that the police officer who did this to him may have been on drugs. Apparently, the man's behavior was very erratic. Deranged, even. Alan...feels lucky to be alive!" She looked at him uncertainly after these words left her mouth, as though she regretted saying so much about one of this man's brothers in blue.

Mike's smile never faltered, although the muscles around his eyes seemed to harden for a moment. "Does he, now?"

"Perhaps you could give me your card, Officer," she said. "You mentioned that you wanted to leave it with us. When Alan wakes up, I'll have him call you."

"By all means, Mrs. Wright." Mike reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and produced an NYPD business card, which he handed to her. "Call me anytime."

"Thank you, Officer," she said, peering at the card through her thick glasses. "I'll keep this for Alan."

A sleepy voice called out from one of the rooms beyond the kitchen. "Who's there, Gram?"

"Ah! Sounds like he's awake, after all." Mike reached for the pitcher of lemonade.

"I'll be right there, honey," Mrs. Wright called back. "It's just a--"

Mike interrupted her with a firm hand on her arm. "No need to announce me, ma'am. I'll just whistle in there and introduce myself!"

"What? But---but---"

In a flash, Mike had pushed past her and walked purposefully to the door the voice had come from, the lemonade still in his hand. He thrust open the door and snapped on the light, revealing a room that was strewn with musical equipment. The slim black bastard, Mr. Radley, lay in a single bed in the corner, wincing and shielding his eyes against the sudden assault of light.

"Hey-ho, me boyo," Mike said softly. "Remember me?"

Radley made a choking sound and his eyes widened in fear, the whites showing all round the dark irises. He struggled to sit up, and the blankets fell away, revealing white bandages on his torso.

"Officer!" called Mrs. Wright anxiously, still in the kitchen. Mike cocked an ear. She was a slow mover with that walker of hers. He needn't worry about her. Nonetheless, he shut the door. It didn't seem to have a lock on it.

"I'll be out in a minute, ma'am," he called. "Right after my little chat with your boy."

"Gram!" called Radley hoarsely. "Don't come in here!" To Mike, he added in a trembling voice, "Don't you hurt my grandmother, you son of a bitch."

"Big words from a fucked-up douchebag," scoffed Mike in a low voice, advancing on him. "You're fucked up, boy. Haven't you noticed? Flat on your back, you are. Weak. You can't do shit. Not now, not tomorrow, not next month."

"What the f-fuck do you want?" Radley was shaking so hard that his headboard was actually bumping lightly against the wall it was pressed against. He grabbed a pillow and held it protectively against his injured chest.

Mike flung the contents of the lemonade pitcher violently in his face. Radley gasped and sputtered, rubbing frantically at his eyes. His hair was practically standing on end.

"I want to give you a friendly warning, boy. They said at the hospital that you've been spouting some delirious shit about police brutality. Well, you know what? Me and my friends at the station don't like that at all. We don't take kindly to biased, unfounded allegations that serve no purpose but to make us look bad." Mike regarded the terrified young man through narrowed eyes. "D'ye think you think you can take on the whole NYPD with that black skin of yours and your police record? You think you and your sweet, frail little grandma have got a hope in hell?"

"Alan!" Mrs. Wright's voice was marginally closer.

"Gram!" Radley shouted. "Go back to the living room, okay?"

"We're almost done, Mrs. Wright," added Mike pleasantly.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Radley said quickly to Mike in a low voice. "I wasn't gonna make trouble anyway. I'm a low-profile kind of guy."

"That's good," said Mike, sitting down on the side of the bed, and reaching for Radley's protective pillow, "because I wouldn't want to have to come back here again with some muscle."

Radley desperately tried to maintain his grasp on the pillow, but failed. He just didn't have the strength.

"What--what more do you want?" Radley asked, his voice rising in his fear.

Mike held the pillow bunched in one fist. "Think of me as a teacher, boy. This is a lesson that all powerless cockroaches like yourself should learn. No matter how bad you think it is, it can always get worse."

He thrust the pillow over the other man's face and pressed him down hard into the mattress. Then he proceeded to beat him about the body with the base of the plastic pitcher, paying special attention to his bandages. The pitcher wouldn't break bones, but it would hurt like hell, which was his intention. Radley made muffled sounds of pain and tried feebly to protect himself. When he did, Mike just beat at his hands and fingers. If the man was some kind of musician, he would likely want to keep his fingers in good working order.

After a goodly amount of time had passed, Mike stopped beating Radley and removed the pillow from the tear-stained face beneath it. A little trickle of blood ran from Radley's nose, and he gasped for breath, his chest heaving.

Abernathy leaned over him like a lover, their faces close together. "Look at me, you piece of shit. Take a good look. Do I look like a man that it's safe to cross?"

Radley shook his head rapidly, obviously scared witless.

Abernathy rose from the bed and pulled the sheets up over Radley's bandages. A couple of them were showing red stains.

At that moment, there was a bumping sound at the door, probably the old woman's walker. The handle turned and the door scraped open across the carpet. She stood there, eyes wide with fright.

"Alan! Are you... What... Dear Lord..." She looked as though she might faint.

Cheeks flushed from exertion, Mike's glittering eyes swung enigmatically from the frail old lady to the defeated man in the bed and then back to her. He wasn't entirely sure why, but at the sight of her, his grip tightened on the handle of the pitcher. Perhaps it was because he was done here and she was blocking his exit.

Radley reached a reddened hand to tug piteously at the hem of Mike's jacket. "Please," he whispered. A tear slid down his cheek.

Mike shook off the beseeching hand with contempt. "What do you take me for, boy? Some kind of monster?" What did the lad think---that he was going to knock the old woman down?

"Gram...Please move," Radley said. "Let him go."

She blinked at him in distress for a moment before his words sank in. "Oh! Yes. Yes, of course." She and her walker ponderously backed up a few paces, and Abernathy squeezed past her.

"Thank you both for your cooperation," he said solemnly to her. "I'll see myself out."

He smiled quietly to himself as he walked down the hall of the apartment building, straightening his tie as he went. There'd be no more trouble from that quarter, he'd wager a month's wages on that. And if either Radley or his old granny changed their minds in the future for any reason, they'd have a wee bit of trouble tracking him down. A good day's work, all in all.

In Mrs. Wright's apartment, however, terror and confusion still reigned.

"Let me call 911! You've been hurt-- you need medical attention---I just can't believe---"

Alan grabbed the phone from his grandmother's hand. "Gram, I told you, no! It's too dangerous. You don't understand. If you call 911, the police are bound to show up."

"Well, I think it's about time we talked to a_ real_ police officer," she said querulously. "That awful man must have had a fake badge. I'm so sorry, dear. I never should have let him in..." Her sentence ended in a sob and her frail shoulders shook for a moment before she managed to get control of herself. She wanted to be strong for her grandson. She didn't want him to see her cry, not now when he was in so much pain himself.

"Gram, he WAS a police officer. I was in his car the other night. He had a police radio, cherry lights, the whole nine yards. We can't call the police."

"I think his commanding officer might like to know---"

"No! They all stick together, you know that! And who's gonna listen to me? I'm not an upstanding citizen, as far as the police are concerned. That bastard knew all about my record, you know."

"Alan, you wouldn't even have a record if you hadn't had to take a fall for Tyrone. I still don't understand why you did that."

"Yes you do, and you know there was no way around it. Tyrone would have gone to jail, and his old man would've been pissed at me, and I think HE'S even more scary than the crazy cop."

"Yes, but it left you with a criminal record that you don't deserve. It's... it's so unfair."

"Yeah, I know. Life is shitty sometimes." A wave of weakness swept over him, reminding him of how much pain he was in. The visit from the cop had totally overwhelmed the pain-blocking effects of the drugs the hospital had sent him home with. "Gram, I need my meds."

"Oh, let me get them for you. Sit. Sit down there. I'll be right back." She and her walker thumped slowly down the hall to the bathroom.

When she returned with the bottle of pain pills, Alan swallowed two of them with a gulp of water from a bottle he kept by his bed.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider calling 911?"

"Gram, no." Alan sighed and closed his eyes. They ain't gonna believe us. No witnesses, no evidence. We're not their favorite color, either. Pretty well every time someone gets shot by a cop in this city, it's a black know that as well as I do. Better, in fact." He reached out with a shaky hand and patted her arm.

"Oh Alan, don't remind me about Bobby. Your poor mama. Oh dear." She leaned heavily on her walker, trying not to cry.

"There's nothing we can do, Gram. We gotta let it go."

"Maybe we could write an anonymous letter," suggested Mrs. Price hopefully. "Or get ourselves a good lawyer. It just doesn't sit right with me, you being victimized in this way."

"We ain't got money for a lawyer, and a letter would just bring the trouble right back here on the double. Besides, we don't even know that bastard's name. He never gave me any information at all. I don't even know what precinct he's from."

"Oh but, dear, he gave me his card." Mrs. Price wiped a tear from her eye and fumbled about in the pocket of her slacks. "I've got it right here."

"He gave you his card?" Alan stared at her incredulously. The guy was obviously pretty damn sure of his untouchability if he calmly handed out his card before terrorizing his victims.

Mrs. Price found the card and handed it to Alan, who took it eagerly. Finally, he was going to be able to put a name to the man who had brutalized him. He wasn't about to tell his grandmother, but he hadn't given up on the idea of retaliation, not by a long shot. He didn't know how or when, but he was going to find a way to take this psycho cop down. Asking Tyrone for help was one possible option, but he didn't know if he would ever be ready to take that step. He felt safer having Tyrone in his debt, and he wasn't in a big hurry to dispense with that particular safety net.

He read the name on the card, quietly memorizing the information. Detective Randy MacLean of the 27th. He would remember that name. He didn't think he had ever hated anyone more in his life.

_I'll make sure that you pay for this, Detective MacLean_, he thought to himself. _One way or another, you corrupt son of a bitch._

end of chapter 42

Chapter 43 is already up on my LJ. You can find the link on my profile page.

Thanks for reading. Feedback is always appreciated.


	43. Chapter 43

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_By Brit Columbia_

Chapter 43

_Fandom:_ Fake

_Pairing:_ Dee/ Ryo

_Rating: _ Mature. Nothing sexy happens in this chapter. Sigh.

_Spoilers: _ To Volume 7

_Timing: _ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary: _ Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Lieutenant Abernathy is mine however, along with Detective Greenspan, Sheldon, Frank Marchall and the family of Detective Shaver. I have not based these characters on any living persons.

_Author's notes:_ (1) The acronym LEO stand for law enforcement officer. (2) A gi (pronounced the way the _French_ pronounce 'guy') is a Karate uniform. (3) I shortened the scene where Ryo and Dee talked about how Shaver detonated the bomb because it was just too long and detailed and it wasn't really necessary. It was really just me showing off, since thanks to all my research, I'm probably the best-informed person among my entire acquaintance on the subject of car bombs--a dubious honor!

_Thank you _to mtemplar and the_ladyFeather

**A New Day**

Chapter 43

Detective Greenspan got off the train at Woodhaven Boulevard, and made her way slowly down the platform. What the hell was Lieutenant Abernathy up to? It was beginning to look very much like he was just using her as a tool to harass Detective MacLean, who appeared to be his sworn enemy. She had suspected for some time that the two men were playing some kind of cat and mouse game that neither was prepared to own up to.

When she had seen the photos with which the lieutenant had provided her, she initially found herself getting excited. They certainly looked incriminating, and she had become convinced that she was actually going to get a lead from Bikky MacLean that would help her solve the murder of Eddie Calvetti. She had yet to distinguish herself as a detective, and she was hoping that this would be the case that would allow her to make a name for herself.

But this latest promising clue had led nowhere. The idea that the boy had been raising money for a funeral sounded pretty farfetched, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the story would be corroborated by the minor dealers that were currently at the station waiting to be questioned on this matter. Even if that turned out to be inconclusive, there was the fact that Detective Laytner was claiming to be the boy's alibi. She sniffed disdainfully at the thought of him. What a jerk. And gay too, along with Detective MacLean! That had been a blow. She sighed glumly and tossed her hair off her shoulders. She should have known. Why were the best looking ones always gay? It was so unfair. At least the Commissioner was a straight man. Thinking of him made her smile to herself. His very flattering interest in her had been the only bright spot in a very stressful week. Now there was a man who was the absolute antithesis of gay.

Not only would an association with him be good for her career, but he was out-and-out gorgeous as well. He was tall, handsome, sophisticated, and obviously wealthy. Yesterday he had taken her to a lovely little wine bar where they had worked their way through a bottle of something obviously decadently expensive, and then he had sent her home by taxi, all the way to Queens, after waving off her concerns about the cost. And as if that hadn't been enough, he had appeared in person at the 99th this morning, supposedly to talk with the station commander, although she knew better. He had brought her back to Manhattan in his Lexus, flirting subtly all the way. In his company, she felt so delightfully, thoroughly, irresistibly feminine, and it had been a long time since any man had managed to make her feel that way.

The Commissioner, or 'Berkeley', as he had insisted she call him, seemed to think that it was very important and fortuitous that Lieutenant Abernathy had chosen her to feed information to. He had refrained from giving her any details about why the department might be interested in the lieutenant, but had impressed upon her the necessity of staying in Abernathy's good graces and slowly winning the man's trust.

"If anyone can do that, it's you, Tina," he had said, while gazing admiringly into her eyes, and when he said it that way, she also believed that she could.

When she wasn't actually in his powerful and inspiring presence, however, she wasn't so sure.

She had called Abernathy's office as soon as she had left that unpleasant, greasy little diner this morning, and the phone had been picked up by a Detective Fox, which was just as well because his kind courtesy gave her time to get over her vexation at having been made to feel a fool by Detectives Laytner and MacLean. By the time she had reached Abernathy on his cell phone, she was feeling much calmer.

He had listened quietly while she informed him that the boy had apparently not been speaking to the dealers about anything drug-related, and had in fact been raising money for Mr. Calvetti's funeral. If the lieutenant was disappointed, it wasn't evident in his voice. She couldn't have said for certain whether he had already known about the funeral or not.

"That boy is guilty," Abernathy had finally pronounced firmly. "He knows more about that murder than he's lettin' on. His roots are firmly entrenched in the drug culture. He grew up with it. Half his friends are either junkies or dealers. It's just a matter of time before we get something on him."

"Do you think his father knows about his son's drug connections and activities?" Detective Greenspan asked.

"You can bet he does, and he'll do anything to keep it quiet, including lying, destroying evidence and hiring high priced lawyers to bark threats at honest detectives like yourself."

Detective Greenspan smarted at the reminder of how Lieutenant Beasley and Sergeant Fedorov had gone up one side of her and down the other following a visit from Lindsay Masters, a high profile Manhattan lawyer famous for his take-no-prisoners approach. It hadn't even been her fault! It was Scott who had caused the ruckus. But when she had attempted to point this out, Lieutenant Beasley had stated tersely that it was her case, and she had to take responsibility.

"Detective MacLean seems to want to keep his sexual orientation quiet, too," she added, a little bit surprised at how much venom had found its way into her voice.

But Abernathy had entered into this new subject with venom of his own. "Oh, that he does, the immoral SOB. And can ye blame him? There are lots of guys on the force who wouldn't want to work with such a man, and might not be too quick too arrive on a call for back-up."

"Oh, I would hope not," Detective Greenspan had said, genuinely shocked. "His sexual preferences may be distasteful on a personal level, but he's still one of us."

"Ah lass, I can see you're still new to the way of things here in the NYPD," Abernathy had remarked in a tone that she found patronizing. "'One of us', indeed. When you've been an LEO in this city for a few more years, you'll learn that the vaunted brotherhood of the NYPD is just one of many pleasant illusions they like to feed us."

"Oh," she had made herself say in a small voice, when all she had really wanted to do was hang up on his condescending superiority. "Well, I guess you probably know somewhat more about it than I do, sir." She had noticed earlier that he seemed to like being addressed as 'sir', and since as a lieutenant, he technically outranked her, it didn't nettle her as much as it otherwise might have to address him that way.

"Stick with me, Detective," he said confidently. "I'll show you the ropes behind the ropes."

The thought of being shown 'ropes' by Lieutenant Abernathy brought an unwelcome and rather frightening image to her mind, which she quickly pushed away. Lord above, where had that come from?

"Thank you, sir," she had replied politely, hoping she sounded suitably grateful. She would show Berkeley that his faith in her was entirely justified. She would make this dismal little man trust her, even though she was prepared to label him the most cynical person she had ever met.

"Now lass, if you don't hear from me for a while, don't be thinkin' I've forgotten you."

"Why? Are you going somewhere?" she had asked quickly.

"Perhaps," he had replied. "In any case, I'm likely to be busy for the next few weeks, so just keep working away on the case on your own. If that MacLean kid knows anything, we'll not get it out of him now that he's got his guard up. I say we give things a little time to settle down, and then come at this case from another angle."

"But sir, I need your help," she had said. "What if the case goes cold?"

"It won't, Detective. That boy's not goin' anywhere. We'll get him eventually."

"I don't want to get _him_, sir," she reminded him, trying not to sound testy. "I just want him to lead me to the murderer."

"And so he will, lass, so he will. But patience is a virtue and you'd do well to cultivate some of that. I'll be in touch."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

The phone rang and Ryo rolled over sleepily to answer it. "MacLean residence."

"Hey Ryo, is it safe to come home?"

"Of course it is, B. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Get real. I know it's your day off and you and the perv have been alone together for hours. He's there, right?"

"That's right, he is," said Ryo. "And he's staying for dinner."

"Well, duh. If dorkhead ever went home to his own place at dinnertime, I think the sun would explode. So, if I show up in say, five minutes, I'm not gonna see anything gross?"

Dee's body shook with silent laughter in the bed next to Ryo, and they exchanged grins.

"In that case, better make it _ten_ minutes, brat," Dee called out.

"Bite me, loser!"

"That's enough Bikky. There's no need to yell in my ear," Ryo said. "We'll see you in a few minutes."

"Hell, I'll give ya half an hour. But can we eat as soon as I get home? I need food."

"Sure thing. I'll make you something good, okay?"

"Thanks. See ya!"

Ryo hung up the phone and pushed Dee's roving hand away from his penis. "Stop that. We don't have time."

"I could have sworn I heard him say 'half an hour'." Dee's voice was muffled against Ryo's shoulder as he nuzzled him there.

Ryo wanted to lie in bed with Dee, warm and comfortable, while the stirrings of desire awoke once more in his body. There was a light stubble coming up on his partner's jaw and it scratched pleasantly against his shoulder. But he knew that if he didn't find the strength to disengage and stand up, he would be embarrassed and disorganized when Bikky came home, and dinner certainly wouldn't be ready. Bikky had said he was hungry. Ryo didn't ever want to become the kind of parent who would choose sex with his lover over preparing a meal for his hungry child.

"Half an hour will give us just enough time to get cleaned up and throw some chicken strips in the oven. "Come on, let go of me. Do you want the shower first?"

"Spoilsport," grumbled Dee, pressing one last stubbly kiss against Ryo's shoulder blade. "You go first. I'll change the sheets."

"Thanks, Dee." Ryo gave his hand a grateful squeeze and jumped out of bed. When his feet hit the floor, he winced a little.

"Sore?"

"Not as sore as I'm gonna be after Karate." Ryo stretched languorously and popping sounds issued from a couple of his joints. He began casting about on the floor for his clothes.

"Damn. Forgot about Karate. That's at 6 PM, right? You gonna even have time to eat anything?" Dee glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. It said 4:36.

"Maybe," said Ryo, also glancing at the clock. He smiled at Dee, and added, "With your help."

Dee went from half-asleep, half-erect master of seduction to fully awake and alert assistant manager of Ryo's nutritional needs and parental responsibilities in about eight seconds. "Go," he said, springing out of bed and making shooing motions at Ryo. "Get your butt in the shower. Never mind about your clothes right now. I'll pick everything up. You're the one with a deadline here."

"Dee...my love--" It was a quick whisper, a quicker kiss, and Ryo was out of Dee's reach, snatching his robe off the hook on the bedroom door, before disappearing down the hall.

Dee changed the sheets with a dumb grin on his face. Ryo was not usually one for endearments, so the fact that he had just said 'my love' meant a lot. Ryo usually only addressed him by his name. However Dee did have to admit to himself that Ryo had been known to call him 'asshole' or 'dickhead' periodically when he was pissed off, and a couple of years back he had experimented with 'dude' once or twice. That was mainly because pretty well all the guys in the CI division had caught it from Dee. But with Ryo, it hadn't stuck. It just wasn't his style.

But now he had just said something halfways mushy. Dee's grin broadened. "Face it, dude, you're crazy about me," he muttered happily.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee listened attentively as Bikky, in between huge bites of ketchup-drenched chicken strips, successfully negotiated with Ryo for a movie night with his buddies. First, Ryo had had to be reminded that Bikky's period of grounding was finally over. Then Bikky subtly applied guilt, suggesting that since Ryo was going to a class, there certainly wouldn't be much opportunity for 'father-son time' that evening. Bikky punctuated this last statement with a brief, resentful glare at Dee, who made a face at him. Just when Dee was thinking that the score was two-zero for Bikky with Ryo on the ropes, Ryo made a comeback by refusing to contribute the money Bikky needed for his evening's entertainment. He pointed out that since Bikky had been grounded for the last few weeks, he wouldn't have had many opportunities to spend his allowance and should therefore be in sufficient funds to be able to pay for his movie ticket and then some. Bikky countered with protests that while he had been out raising funds for the funeral, he had had to pay for snacks et cetera several times! Plus give money to homeless kids! Bikky's cunning mention of homeless kids caused Ryo to temporarily lose momentum, but he recovered quickly, coming back with an offer to pay half the cost of the movie ticket, but only on the condition that Bikky was home by 9:30 to put in half an hour on his homework. Finding himself forced to agree to those not very advantageous terms, Bikky then tried to get an extra five bucks for popcorn, which Ryo negotiated down to a promise of a big bowl of ice cream when he came home instead.

Dee didn't even bother to hide his grin of admiration for Ryo. He could still recall the days a few years back when Ryo, a new parent, regularly got played by Bikky until experience had caused him to wise up. The little brat still got his way a lot of the time, but Ryo had become adept at attaching conditions like homework and chores to the activities that he allowed Bikky to take part in. He was also much better at making Bikky try to stay within the confines of his allowance. Gone were the days when Bikky could wheedle an extra thirty to fifty bucks a week out of Ryo on top of his regular allowance.

"What the hell are you looking at, doofus?"

"Nuthin'," said Dee with a smug smile. "Just waiting for your next play, that's all."

Bikky shook his head in disgust. "I'm going to the movies, Ryo's going to Karate, and you're going home now, right? Show's over, freak."

"Actually, I'm going to the gym to get all buff for Ryo," said Dee. "But you might not be going anywhere if Ryo notices you haven't eaten your green beans yet." He smiled wickedly at the suddenly open-mouthed boy and then took an innocent sip of his tea as Ryo's eyes swivelled to Bikky's plate.

"Bikky, I want those green beans off your plate and inside your stomach before I leave the house, which will be in five minutes," Ryo said sternly. "I'm going to go brush my teeth and get my gi ready, so start eating." He picked up his empty plate and carried it to the sink, while Bikky turned rage-filled eyes on Dee.

"You're not gonna get away with this, asshole!" he hissed.

When Ryo came out of the bathroom, he wasn't as shocked as he otherwise might have been if the yelling from the kitchen hadn't alerted him to expect a mess. Ketchup-covered green beans were strewn across the kitchen floor, and Dee was out of his chair and hollering angrily. There was a smear of what looked like blood (but was most likely ketchup) on one of his cheeks and a clump of mashed potatoes stuck to the front of his tee-shirt. Bikky seemed to be doing some kind of victory dance. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.

His face grim, Ryo handed Bikky a roll of paper towel and a bottle of spray cleaner and ordered him to clean up the mess on the floor immediately. Dee went cursing to the bathroom to scrape the mashed potatoes off his shirt, and while he was gone, Ryo revealed to a dismayed Bikky that he had not in fact gotten out of eating his potatoes and green beans by throwing them at Dee.

"There are more in the pan," Ryo informed him, spooning them onto Bikky's plate. "I had a feeling something like this would happen, so I kept some back. And no, you can't have ketchup this time. Eat up, or no movie."

"Aw Ryo, you're such a... a veggie-sadist!"

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Ryo was sitting at the kitchen table trying to keep Bikky on track with his science homework, when the phone rang.

"Aaaaand, that'll be dorkhead," muttered Bikky, throwing down his pen.

"Dee!" said Ryo into the phone, sounding annoyingly delighted. "How was your workout?"

"It was torture," quavered Bikky in a melodramatic tone, "because_ you_ weren't there!"

Ryo glared at him and retreated into the bedroom with the phone.

"It's only been a couple of hours, but it felt like eternity!" Bikky called after him. Ryo closed the door firmly in response.

"I'm gonna pick that kid up by the seat of his pants and dangle him off the fire escape," growled Dee. "And then I'm gonna--"

"No you're not, so just drop it," Ryo said. "Please let's have a normal conversation if that's not too difficult for you. I believe I asked you how your workout was."

"Oh, not bad. I liked my earlier workout a lot better, though," Dee said suggestively, obviously waiting for Ryo to react.

"Me too," said Ryo. He sat down on the bed, absently noting that the pillowcases didn't match, and then recalling that it had been Dee who had changed the sheets earlier. "It was way more fun than Karate. Especially since no fewer than four people seemed to feel the need to comment on that big freakin' mark you left on my neck."

"Jeez, sorry about that," said Dee, who wasn't actually all that sorry. There were certain people at the dojo to whom he wanted to send a news flash that Ryo was now taken. Hopefully they had gotten the message. "Anyway," he added, quickly changing the subject, "I ran into Ted and Marty at the 27th when I was using the gym, and they gave me an update. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure," said Ryo, instantly interested. "What's happening?"

"Well, first off, Marty's got three or four small gangs trying to make a name for themselves as badasses by claiming they were the ones who blew up the warehouse. We know it's bullshit, of course, but it'll give the commish something to say at his press conference."

"Wow," said Ryo. "Marty really knows how to play the game, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does," Dee agreed. "He seems to write his own ticket too. That guy is smarter than most of the brass I've ever met."

"Is he smarter than you?" Ryo teased.

"I'd have to say yes," said Dee seriously. "Way smarter. If he doesn't make lieutenant by the end of the year, I'll eat my handbook."

"Dee, you probably couldn't even find your handbook."

"That may be. Haven't seen the damn thing since last summer. Anyway, moving on. Ted talked to the pair of Momma-Maids who junked out Shaver's apartment."

"And?"

"Momma-Maids told him and JJ about the crap they'd hauled down to the dumpster. Nothing very interesting, according to Ted. He was probably hoping to hear about inflatable sex dolls or something."

"But?" Ryo tried not to sound impatient.

"But the Momma-Maid team did find a couple of fireworks, just small ones."

"Ah. Gunpowder. Or rather, black powder. The key to the blast. How did the Chief take it?"

"I dunno. He couldn't have been too happy. But remember what Andrea told us? The call she went on with Shaver and the house full of illegal fireworks?"

"Yep."

"Well if he had a lot of fireworks, he sure wasn't keeping them in his little bachelor apartment. The place was tiny."

"He may have kept them in a storage unit somewhere. Anyway, the point is that it was an ANFO bomb, so the main explosion was caused by the mix of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel. But because ANFO's so stable, he would have needed a smaller blast to achieve detonation of the larger mixture. The fireworks would have given him that. I can't see him being able to get his hands on blasting caps or dynamite without calling attention to himself."

"Sounds like part of the puzzle is solved, then. Hey, didn't you say this morning that you had figured out how he detonated it?"

"Well, what I said was I think I know," said Ryo reaching for the small light bulb he had removed from the trunk of Dee's car that morning. It was still on the nightstand where he had placed it earlier. "I don't think anyone can be sure exactly what he did, since all the evidence got blown to smithereens and Shaver's not around to answer any questions."

"Unless we want to do a seance or something." Dee paused to take a drag on a cigarette. "So, how'd he make it all go boom?"

"I have two theories, and keep in mind they're just theories. He either got a radio unit from somewhere, which wouldn't have been that hard to do, or he ran a hot wire, most likely nichrome, from his trunk light socket and attached it to a fuse. If it was the latter, all he would've had to do was press the button on his remote to unlock the trunk. When it popped open, the light would normally come on."

"Except this time there was no light to receive the current," Dee said.

"That's right. He didn't need light, he just needed the wire to get hot. And he needed a sufficient preliminary blast for the ANFO bomb to piggyback on. He must have had three or four hundred pounds of diesel and fertilizer packed into his trunk to do the damage he did."

"You don't think he just used a timer?"

"No. I think he wanted to choose the precise moment of detonation so that he could catch the maximum number of gang members in the blast and maybe take cover himself."

"Sonofabitch! Are you saying you don't think this was suicide? You think he's not dead?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. I think Shaver was the guy on the bike, and both Abernathy and Ibo know it."

"Okay, I can understand why Abernathy wouldn't want us to find Shaver, but why wouldn't Ibo say anything? If he wants to get Shaver, he might as well use the police to bring him in. From everything we've heard about Ibo, he's not averse to getting the police to do his dirty work whenever possible."

"You haven't had a chance to hear the tapes yet, have you? One of the last things Ibo said before the warehouse blew up was 'Give the money to the cop.'

Dee was silent for a moment. Then he swore softly. "So he took 'em all down and fucked off with the money? I didn't think he had it in him."

"He probably got lucky," said Ryo. "Because although homemade bombs are great in theory, they sometimes don't go off as planned. But now it looks like Ibo's got a major score to settle with him. If I'm right, Shaver's got a lot of reasons to stay dead."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee pulled into the parking area in front of the 27th at approximately five after three on Saturday afternoon, just in time to see JJ walking out of the building accompanied by an ugly-looking guy with a bandage on his nose who seemed vaguely familiar. Instinctively fearing a pounce, Dee gave them wide berth, but to his surprise, JJ, who was laughing and chattering excitedly, didn't notice him at all. Suddenly Dee remembered where he had seen those fishy lips and beady eyes before.

"Hey, JJ!" he yelled. "What the hell are you doing with that asshole?"

Both men stopped and stared at him. So did a couple of female patrol cops that were walking toward the building. They all looked at Dee curiously.

"This is Frank Marchall, Dee," JJ said. "Your witness."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Dee glared at Frank, who cringed. The guy looked different from that day that he and his buddy had come to the station looking to press charges against Dee for punching them out in front of Freddie's convenience store. He seemed to have acquired some fashionable clothes with which to cover his large, pudgy body, and there was a sheen of gel glistening in his thinning hair.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You were unconscious. Frank is your main witness in the skinhead attack. Don't you remember? He left you guys a letter at the hospital. Sheldon took his statement so Ryo could stay at the hospital with you."

"Oh, so we're all buddy-buddy now? After this guy and his friend tried, unsuccessfully, I might add, to lay a beating on me for purely homophobic reasons? And then they came to the 27th a few days later to try to get me fired. What the hell are you doing being so friendly with him, JJ you traitor?"

Both the watching patrol cops shifted their eyes from Dee to JJ. One of them raised her eyebrows expectantly as she waited for JJ's response.

"Traitor? Me?" Oblivious to his audience, JJ looked genuinely shocked for a moment. "Dee, I would never betray you. What the hell are you on?"

"Me?" Dee narrowed his eyes at him. "You know I'm never 'on' anything when I'm on duty except caffeine and nicotine."

"And sometimes pain meds if you've had a concussion," added JJ forcefully, but this just seemed to make Dee even angrier.

"Look, Dee," said JJ patiently, "This is not about you. Frank is _sorry_. Didn't you read his note? He was confused about his sexuality for a long time. But now he's accepted what he is. He's come right out of the closet."

The two patrol cops looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They both folded their arms and waited.

Frank nodded emphatically next to JJ, but still seemed fearful to meet Dee's eye.

"That took a lot of guts for a guy who grew up in the south," JJ added. "I think he deserves some credit for that, don't you?"

"I think he deserves another punch in the head for nearly getting Ryo killed!" Dee balled up his fists and loomed menacingly over Frank, who squeaked in terror and tried to hide behind JJ. It was almost laughable, since he was several inches taller than JJ and at least fifty pounds heavier.

"Dee, control yourself! We do NOT punch out witnesses! He came forward willingly. He wants to do the right thing."

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

Dee turned around to see Sheldon limping toward them. The man always walked with a limp. He had taken a bullet in the hip in his second year as a detective twenty five years ago, and had been a desk jockey ever since.

"JJ thinks he's gonna stop me from knocking this guy's head off, even though he absolutely has it coming."

"But Dee, he's your witness," protested Sheldon, echoing JJ. "Just let it go, my friend."

"Witness, schmitness."

JJ jumped back into the fray. "Besides, he already got beaten up by his cousin Larry--who was the only family he had in New York-- just for coming out of the closet," he said. "Look at his face! Show him your nose, Frank. Dee, he needs dental surgery too. I think he's been punished enough."

"Aw, for Christ's sake," complained Dee, lowering his fists. "Just get him out of my sight, okay?"

"No problem, Mr. Sexy. Let's go, Frank. Have you thought about what kind of haircut you want? And did you make a decision about an earring?"

Talking animatedly, JJ walked briskly away while Frank shambled along beside him. Dee stared after them in disgust. The two uniformed officers gave him sympathetic looks and then turned and strolled through the front door of the building.

"Am I suddenly in The Twilight Zone?" Dee demanded of Sheldon in aggrieved tones. "Is this some crazy new version of the Matrix that no one told me about?"

"It _is _pretty damn weird," Sheldon agreed, removing his glasses and polishing them. "But I've been at the 27th a long time and I've seen shit that's a lot crazier than this. Hey, aren't you late for work?" He looked at his watch. "It's ten after."

"Nah," said Dee with a grin. "I was talking with a _witness._ You and JJ both saw that. Still, I'd better get inside before the badg--"

"Dee!" A familiar voice roared from the front step. "When the hell are you gonna learn to tell time, you lazy, slack-assed shirker!"

"Aw, crap," muttered Dee.

"See you later, have a good shift!" said Sheldon quickly and scuttled away as fast as his injured hip would let him move.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

"I had a conversation with your partner this morning," the Chief told Dee. "What he says makes sense, and I just wanna let you know that I've passed his ideas along to the Commissioner."

"I bet that info wiped the smile off his face," said Dee smugly.

"Don't count on it. There isn't a speck of evidence to support your theory so far, and we're gonna hope like hell it stays that way."

"I can see why," Dee conceded grudgingly. "If it's the truth, it ain't gonna be good publicity for us, although Hollywood would probably pay big bucks for it. But, hey, Marty brought in some useful intel, I heard. Right?"

"Yeah. What a load of crap. But worth its weight in gold to the PR department."

Dee shrugged. This was old news. He was waiting to find out the real reason why the walrus had dragged him into his office for this charming one-on-one.

"Got the results back from the bug sweep," the Chief growled.

"Lemme guess--nada?" said Dee.

"That's right. Either there was never a bug here in the first place, or if there were any, the person who planted them figured out what was going on and removed them. It's good nothing turned up, though. If bugs'd been found here, we'd have the FBI crawling all over us by now."

Dee scowled at the thought of Diana. "How's Helen's list coming along?"

"What list?" The Chief snorted derisively. The request was put in on Thursday. It's only Saturday. You should know better than that, Dee."

"Sorry, Chief. I just thought Rose could expedite things."

"He can, but even so, I wouldn't expect that list to come from IA in less than a week." The Chief looked longingly at the cigar in his ashtray, but didn't touch it. "Your Detective Greenspan has been personally cleared by the Commissioner, by the way. A record that's clean as a whistle, that one. So guess what? There's nothing to stop you guys from working with her on your investigation of Mike."

Dee made a disgusted sound. "Maybe she'll change her mind about working with us. She thinks we've got 'gayfluenza'."

"I don't give a shit. All of you are under orders from me and the Commissioner to just get the fuck along with each other and leave the drama at the door. If Mike decides at any point to make another attempt to discredit Ryo's son, Detective Greenspan will likely know about it before either of you two do."

"Yeah, you may be right," said Dee instantly sobering. "I hope to hell nothing like that happens." He felt an intense need for a cigarette and wondered how soon he could get himself out of the badger's office and upstairs to the roof. "Anything else, Chief?" Tentatively, Dee started to rise from his chair.

"Yeah. Two more things. One, Parker and Adams are stalled on the Lydgate case. It's not going anywhere until they get that DNA test. I'm counting on YOU to get that moving forward. Two, I'm writing you up for lateness again, you jackass. This is the seventh time so far this year. If it happens again, I'll put you on third shift for a month."

"Aw come on, Chief, how am I gonna get anything on Abernathy if I can only work when the guy is sleeping? Besides, I wasn't late! I was talking to a witness."

"Talking? Looked like you were about to punch him out, if you ask me." The Chief raised a hand and cut off Dee's protests. "Oh, all right. I'll let it go this time IF you get me some progress on the Lydgate case. But try to get it done before the funeral tomorrow. That friggin' circus is gonna turn the city upside down."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee stood beside Ryo on McGraw Avenue, amidst a sea of dark blue uniforms. They could hear the drums off in the distance as the hearse bearing Detective Shaver's alleged remains made its slow progress toward Saint Paul's Lutheran Church.

The cortege moved steadily through the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx. All the roads were closed to regular traffic today. Indeed, the entire community had had its normal activities suspended as thousands of uniformed officers from the NYPD turned out in force to honor a fallen brother.

Various dignitaries, including the mayor and the Commissioner, waited solemnly on the steps of the church. There was an eerie silence broken only by the sound of the drums and the distant roar of traffic on those roads not shut down by the NYPD. Dee's sharp ears picked up the indistinct whap-whap-whap of helicopter blades. Too soon for the fly-by; it had to be one of the news stations taking aerial shots of the progression as the long line of police cruisers, motorcycles and limousines moved from the 51st Precinct police station to the church in Parkchester.

A black limousine drove past Dee and Ryo and stopped in front of the church a short distance away. Four young police officers, most likely from the 51st precinct, opened the doors and stood at attention while a slightly pudgy blond woman with a hard set to her mouth emerged from the vehicle. She was holding tightly to the hand of a small, sturdy-looking boy with neatly combed brown hair. Dee studied the kid's pale, anxious face with interest. That must be Kevin, Detective Shaver's son. Poor little guy. He kept swiveling his head this way and that, staring at the thousands of blue uniforms, men and women of the NYPD standing silently in the street, the lines and rows of them stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction. It was quite a spectacle. They were all there for his father, a man he would never see again. The boy seemed shocked and disoriented, and Dee could certainly understand why.

Mother and son disappeared inside the church, escorted by yet another set of police officers. Not long after that, two more limousines arrived and disgorged a few more people, whom Dee took for family members. All the while the slow steady beat of the drums grew louder.

The Emerald Society Pipes and Drums band marched slowly behind the hearse in their magnificent dress tartans. Dee and Ryo and all those around them saluted the hearse as it went by.

In front of the church, the hearse gently rolled to a stop. In the small spaces between the slow tap of the drums, there was a huge and respectful silence. No one so much as fidgeted or coughed, even the civilians in the crowd. A moment later the master of ceremonies called a command and the pallbearers stepped forward to do their duty. The flag-draped coffin was borne up the steps of the church, accompanied by the sudden passionate skirl of the pipes.

A voice announced over the loudspeakers that Detective Shaver's casket would be on view inside the church for the next hour and that if anyone wished to bid him a private goodbye, they should line up at the side entrance of the church. The funeral service would begin after that and would be broadcast to the people who were waiting outside.

Dee and Ryo were not among those who wished to see and touch the coffin. The announcement had only just finished and already a sizable number of people were moving slowly toward the south entrance of Saint Paul's, many civilians amid the sober blue uniforms.

"You wanna stay for the service or get back to the 27th?" muttered Dee to Ryo, hoping Ryo would choose the latter option, since there probably wouldn't be any opportunities to light up a smoke around here anytime soon, what with TV cameras everywhere and everyone looking stiff and sober.

"We might as well get back," said Ryo. "We have a lot to get caught up on, and I need to review the rotation of the surveillance schedule. Officer Tran says she can't make it for Wednesday, but I'm sure I can find someone who needs a little overtime pay."

"Okay, that's settled then," said Dee happily. "Which way is the nearest subway station again?" He turned around, scanning landmarks, and got a glimpse of James puffing his way toward them through the crowd. James caught his eye and waved.

"Here comes James," observed Ryo blandly.

"Yeah, I see him." The smile disappeared from Dee's face. He suddenly had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to get his cigarette.

"Whew, glad I caught you guys," said James, tugging at the tight collar of his dress uniform. "You were just about to blow, weren't you?"

"We're still gonna blow," Dee informed him, "so spit it out, whatever it is."

"No, you're not," said James with a sympathetic look. "Lieutenant Smith sent me to tell you that the Commissioner wants to talk to you, so you're not to go anywhere until he says so."

"What? He wants to talk to us here? Parkchester's like a goddamn anthill right now!" Dee's voice rose in indignation, causing Ryo to place a warning hand on his arm.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," said James. "I know it sucks, but you'd better stick around or the Chief'll have your balls on a plate. Mine too, probably."

"Did he say _when_ he wanted to talk to us?" Ryo inquired in milder tones than Dee had used. "He seems pretty busy right now." He looked over to the steps of the church where the Commissioner was soberly shaking the hands of two of the black-clad civilians who had gotten out of a limousine earlier. The mayor and various other city council members waited nearby.

"After the service," James said. "He wants you guys to accompany him in his limo on the progression to the crematorium. It's over on Westchester. There's gonna be a press conference there after."

"Aw fuck," snarled Dee. "That means we gotta stick around for at least the next two hours. Then God knows how long after that!"

"Well, so what?" James said. "It beats paperwork, don't it?"

"He'll be fine once he has a smoke," Ryo said to him. "Thanks for the message, James. Come on, Dee, I see a coffee tent over there, and there aren't any news crews near it."

"Coffee?" said Dee, his whole demeanor changing.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Dee entered the side door of the church and pushed his way past all the people who were lined up in the hallway and on the stairs inside Saint Paul's. "Excuse me, honor guard, coming through," he said in response to the dirty looks people gave him. He certainly wasn't a member of the honor guard, but since there were probably more than twenty-five honor guards for this particular funeral, he didn't think anyone would figure it out.

He reached the top of the stairs, glancing at his watch as he did so. The service was starting in fifteen minutes, so if he wanted to talk to Kevin, he'd have to find him quickly.

The church was crammed full of people, sitting in the pews, kneeling in prayer, chatting with each other in low voices. Dee looked over where Shaver's coffin rested on its bier. A mound of blood-red roses had been laid on its polished wooden surface. An elderly woman was walking away from it, complaining to her companion as she went.

"I thought it would be an open casket," she was saying. "I thought we'd be able to see him in 'is uniform, lookin' all peaceful. I can't believe I stood in line to view a closed casket!" Obviously she had missed the part about how Shaver had perished in an explosion and a huge fire, which had burned everything and everyone to a crisp, despite the fact that it had been on every TV channel, every hour, every damn day since Thursday.

Nearby stood the short, heavy, fair-haired woman who had arrived with Kevin. She must be Shaver's wife. What had her name been? Shelley? Shannon? Sheila, that was it. Even though she was surrounded by attentive members of the honor guard, as well as a few sad-faced family members, she gave Dee the impression of a woman wholly alone. Kevin was sitting in a pew a short distance away, drinking bottled water and listening earnestly to a faded blond and very heavily lined female who looked like an earlier edition of Sheila.

Dee approached the nearest member of the honor guard and identified himself with a smart salute. "Detective Dee Laytner, 27th Precinct," he said. "I was working with Detective Shaver on his last mission. He talked to me about his son a few hours before he...died. May I have a word with the boy?"

The officer, a sober middle-aged guy with glasses and a moustache, gave Dee a shrewd look. "Okay," he said. "But don't upset him too much. I'm just gonna trust that you know how to talk to kids."

"My life is full of 'em," Dee assured him with a sardonic smile, and walked over to where Kevin sat. The boy looked up wonderingly as he approached.

Dee saluted him exactly the same way he had done for the honor guard. "Kevin? I'm Detective Laytner. I was working with your dad the night of the fire."

Kevin's eyes widened in his pale and tear-streaked face. He scrambled to his feet and returned Dee's salute. "Did he...D-did he say anything about... me?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, he did, as a matter of fact." Dee removed his cap and knelt down so as to be on the same level as Kevin. He wasn't going to tell Kevin exactly what his father had said, of course. Shaver had mumbled something about how he should tell Kevin not to turn out like his old man. Dee figured he could come up with a better way to get the message across.

"He told me you were a good boy," he said softly, and saw Kevin's lower lip start to tremble. "Your dad said that you wanted to be a cop like him and he asked me--"

"He's not gonna become a cop," a strident female voice interrupted him, and Dee turned his head to see Sheila looking down at him fiercely.

"Mom! I am so. I'm more sure than ever, now."

"I won't allow it. My only child! Three generations of cops in the Shaver family, all of 'em killed in the line of duty. You're not gonna be the fourth. Uh-uh. The buck stops here."

"Mom, I don't wanna fight about it. When I'm eighteen, you can't stop me, you know."

"Actually, kid, it's twenty-one. Well, twenty and a half," said Dee, then added diplomatically, "Lots of time to think it through and discuss it with your mom, huh?"

"Mom, do you mind? The detective was talking to me about Dad. This is private, okay?"

The boy's mother looked stricken for a minute, but her own mother quickly stood up and led her away, murmuring to her.

"Aw, now I feel bad," said Kevin softly, gazing after her.

"You can go give her a hug if you want," offered Dee. "I'll wait."

"No, it's okay. She's with Nana. Please sir, tell me what my dad said." Kevin clutched his water bottle tightly with both hands.

"He said..." Dee took a deep breath, and repeated the words that a dying Jess had said to him so many years ago. Longer than this boy had been alive. "He told me to tell you to...'keep living your life as honestly as you've always lived it.' Stay true to yourself and your ideals, no matter what."

Kevin took a single breath and his large brown eyes swam with tears. "Dad knew I always wanted to be honest," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "Except about Mom's cooking sometimes, because I wouldn't wanna hurt her feelings. Did he...say anything else?"

"He told me he was proud of you," Dee said, improvising on the spot. Shaver hadn't exactly said that, but it was the truth. It had been there between the lines, that small light of pride that flared to life inside Ned Shaver at every mention of his son. It had shone as brightly as all the brass buttons gleaming on the hundreds of dress uniforms in this church.

A sob of pure grief wrenched its way out of Kevin's chest, and he fell forward into Dee's arms. His water bottle thudded, forgotten, to the floor. Dee held the shaking little body, murmuring, "'Atta boy, 'atta boy, get it all out," as soothingly as he could.

Eddie's funeral hadn't really affected him that much, at least not until Bikky had broken down at the end. But this funeral, with all its pomp and ceremony, so different from Eddie's simple one, was hitting a little closer to home. It was strongly reminiscent of the one that had been held for Jess, who had been the closest thing Dee had ever had to a father. Of course, Jess' funeral hadn't been quite as well-attended or media-worthy as Shaver's, because although both men had been cops on the take, Shaver's activities had been better hidden at the time of his death than Jess'. Jess had been up to no good for at least five years before the end of his life. His file had contained a stack of letters of reprimand. Dee knew this because he had checked. He still believed that even if Bruno's men hadn't iced Jess, his 'father' had probably been only months away from a serious investigation by Internal Affairs. He would have lost his badge and done time for sure. A snitch, a wire or a little surveillance would have been all it took.

Still, Jess had had a departmental funeral, and at least a hundred LEO's had shown up. At the time, to an unsophisticated fifteen-year-old Dee, that had seemed like a lot. Later, of course, he knew better, but it had been a comfort to him at the time.

His grief had been different from Kevin's. Kevin was mourning his loss with a pure, uncomplicated sorrow. His father had been a hero to him, a figure of respect, a source of love, guidance and affection. He didn't know the ugly truth, and hopefully he wouldn't find out for a long, long time, if ever.

Dee's grief, on the other hand, had been anything but pure. His time of bereavement had been marked by rage. He felt rage toward Bruno and every man like him, toward the system that created them, toward the well-heeled segment of society full of people that he imagined lived happy lives untouched by drugs, guns or squalor. He even felt intensely angry with Jess for being such a weak-minded, greedy sonofabitch and for getting himself killed when there were people who needed him. For a while, he had also, unfairly perhaps, blamed Jess for Arnon's death as well. His fury had alternately blazed and flickered within him for months afterward. He had gotten into a lot of fights, a lot of trouble. The Penguin still complained that she couldn't remember how many times he was brought home by the police during that dark time.

But eventually the fire had burned itself out, and he had gotten himself back on track in time to do well in his final couple of years of high school. Deep down inside him, however, old embers still smoldered. Grief, loss and anger, all bound up together. If he had any self-discipline at all in his adult life, he owed it to that sickening moment when he had finally understood how Jess' fundamental moral weakness had turned him into Bruno's bitch. Dee was never going to be anybody's bitch. Although he regularly griped about police pay and regulations, everyone knew that he was proud of his badge. Sure, he scraped by with the bare minimum of paperwork, regularly fucked the dog on dull shifts, and had been known to occasionally use a little too much force while arresting douchebags who totally deserved a good smacking-around, but on larger issues his honor was sacrosanct.

He hoped that Kevin would grow up to be an honest and decent cop with more character and strength of mind than his father had had.

These thoughts were interrupted by the middle-aged officer that Dee had spoken to earlier. The man was standing close by, speaking softly to Dee and Kevin. "Detective, it's time to go. The service is about to start and his mother needs him."

Dee glanced up at the guy and nodded acquiescence. Then he gently disengaged himself from Kevin, but not before handing him his card.

"I gotta go, Kevin," he said. "But I hope you won't mind if I check in on you from time to time? Your dad asked me to."

Kevin nodded, wiping at his eyes and sniffling as he tried to get his tears under control. "Su-sure. I'd like that." He stuck out his dry hand and Dee shook it.

Dee moved quickly to exit the church before he got stuck inside for the service. It was standing room only for one thing, but more than that, he wanted to find Ryo. Even if he couldn't touch him, he just felt a need for Ryo's steady presence.

As it was he didn't have to look very far. Ryo was standing over by the vestibule, waiting for him. Their eyes met, and for a moment it was as though he and Ryo were alone in the church. He badly wanted to take his partner in his arms and hold him tightly, but of course he knew that would be impossible.

"How's he doing?" Ryo asked him, when Dee had finally fought his way to his side.

Dee shook his head. "He's heartbroken, poor kid. But at least he's still got his mom and the rest of his family." He squeezed Ryo's shoulder. Ryo had lost both parents to violence, and the scandal that had attached itself to their deaths had caused him to lose most of his extended family as well. "Let's get out of here. Man, what a crush."

"Yeah," Ryo agreed. "NYPD funerals are certainly impressive, but I think the small, private ones are more peaceful."

"Peaceful loses to political every time if it's a departmental service," said Dee cynically. He knew that Ryo was thinking of Eddie's recent funeral. Eddie Calvetti and Ned Shaver had sure turned out to have a few things in common. They were two men who had fallen between the cracks of society. Both losers, but both, of necessity, brave and resourceful. Both full of surprises. And the common denominator of their downfalls? Abernathy.

Dee and Ryo managed to get a seat in the back of a cruiser with a friendly patrol cop from the 21st Precinct, and that was where they waited out the service. Even though they were parked a couple of blocks away, they could still make out the occasional word or phrase that was being broadcast to all the people standing outside the church.

Ryo made numerous calls on his cell phone, checking for messages at home and at work, as well as calling around for surveillance staff to assist him and Dee in the watching of Abernathy's apartment. Surveillance was due to start tomorrow night, and it was Ryo's responsibility to assemble a team.

Finally the service wound to a close, and then it was announced that the funeral cortege was going to proceed to the Fairfield Cremation Centre and it was there that the helicopter fly-over would happen, as well as the releasing of three white doves and finally, radio last call.

In front of the church, several black limousines were parked. About two dozen police cruisers and twice that many motorcycles waited in line in front of and behind them. Ryo and Dee stood looking around for the Commissioner. They had expected to see him once again on the front steps of the church, but he wasn't there.

Dee's cell phone rang, and he fished it out of his pants pocket to answer it.

"It's me, Helen," a familiar low voice said. "Third limo in line. Hurry up. We're about to move."

"Thanks, hon," said Dee. "Move over, here we come."

end of Chapter 43

Additional author's notes: I really, REALLY wanted to do Radio Last Call, but I thought this funeral had gone on long enough. Chapter 44 is on my LJ. Click on the link in my profile page if you want to read it. Thanks for reading Chapter 43!


	44. Chapter 44

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_By Brit Columbia_

Chapter 44

_Fandom: _ Fake

_Pairing: _ Dee/ Ryo

_Rating:_ Not worksafe! Mature. M/M kissing and more. There is a much raunchier version on my LJ, by the way. This chapter has been tamed for the sensibilities of this site.

_Spoilers_: To Volume 7

_Timing: _ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary: _ Ryo is coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his relationship with Dee. Meanwhile, Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two men.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Lieutenant Abernathy is mine however, along with Detective Greenspan, Helen, Frank Marchall, and Sergeant Ross Pekoe. I have not based these characters on any living person.

_Author's notes:_ An LOA is a leave of absence. An LEO is a law enforcement officer.

_Thank you_ to mtemplar and the_ladyfeather for so kindly and patiently being my betas and putting up with my incredibly long chapters.

**A New Day**

_Chapter 44_

Dee and Ryo strode over to the limousine Helen had directed them to, and a member of the funeral honor guard opened the limo door for for them, revealing quite a full house.

"Hello, everybody. How ya doin', Chief?" Dee slid across the smooth leather seats and Ryo followed him. Commissioner Rose was there, naturally, accompanied not only by Lieutenant Warren Smith, but also by Helen, his efficient secretary from the 27th Precinct. The other occupant of the limousine was Sergeant Ross Pekoe, the Commissioner's Supervisor of Staff at One Police Plaza. Dee was just relieved not to see the mayor sitting there as well.

Sergeant Pekoe, a slender, well-coiffed man of about thirty-four with the cheekbones of a model, looked cold and unaccountably hostile at the sight of Ryo, whereas Dee instinctively bristled at the sight of the Commissioner. None of this escaped Rose's attention, naturally. Dee could have sworn that the bastard was positively enjoying the tension.

"Detectives," he said smoothly, inclining his head in welcome. "Thank you for joining us for this brief meeting. I assume you've met Ross?"

"Who hasn't met Ross?" Dee said with a smirk.

"Yes, sir," said Ryo feeling vaguely unsettled by the company he had suddenly found himself in. He was never comfortable in the presence of the Commissioner. Rose had always been fairly open about his attraction to Ryo, and seemed to be unaware that his behavior bordered upon harassment more often than not. Actually, 'unaware' was probably not the right word. Ryo suspected that the Commissioner knew full well what he was doing, and enjoyed it more than he ought to. For a moment, Ryo felt the compact space of the limousine's interior closing in on him. He was very glad that he wasn't alone with Rose. In any case, the Commissioner usually behaved himself in the presence of the Chief, so he probably didn't have to worry.

And then there was Sergeant Pekoe. Although Ryo could count on one hand the number of times he had been face to face with the Commissioner's Supervisor of Staff over the years, and had never had any kind of confrontation with him, the man seemed to have developed a mysterious antipathy toward him. It was unnerving.

The limousine began to roll gently forward, and Dee couldn't resist checking out the interior fittings and then looking out of the window. He loved limos, but it seemed like every time he found himself inside one, he was in the company of someone insufferable like the Sea Hag or her equally annoying part-time boyfriend, that pompous asshole, Rose. Whenever he was in their vicinity, it was almost impossible for him to enjoy himself.

"I'm afraid I have good news and bad news," said the Commissioner, and then paused for effect.

Dee felt Ryo tense beside him. The Chief gave them a look that bordered on sympathetic.

"I'm sure you would like to get the bad news over with first," continued the Commissioner, "so I'll perhaps open with that." His pale blue gaze locked on them like an IR missile. "Detectives Laytner and MacLean, your investigation of Lieutenant Abernathy is officially on hold until further notice."

"What?!" cried Dee and Ryo in unison. Both began speaking at once. The Commissioner stopped them by making a cutting motion with one hand.

"Detective Greenspan, mentioned to me that the lieutenant was planning to be away for a while. We've confirmed it with his commanding officer. Lieutenant Abernathy is officially on a leave of absence for... health reasons."

"Sir," Ryo began, "just because he's not going to work every day doesn't mean he's not going to be busy, er..." He couldn't stop himself from shooting a nervous glance at Sergeant Pekoe, who curled his lip slightly in response.

"It's all right, Ryo. You can speak freely here. Although Helen and Ross aren't directly involved in this case, they are one hundred percent loyal. They know all my secrets, isn't that right?" The Commissioner glanced from one to the other, smiling benignly.

"Well, if that's so, sir, you'd better hope like hell that neither of them ever gets kidnapped and questioned 'persuasively' by the mob," said Dee flatly. Then he added, "Don't worry, Helen. Ryo and I will come and rescue _you_." He shot Sergeant Pekoe a fuck-you look. He hadn't missed the supercilious way that asshole was looking down his nose at Ryo. However, he found himself a little disconcerted when the man actually blushed and looked away.

The lordly smile didn't leave the Commissioner's mouth, but it hardened somewhat. "Detective Laytner, if you're quite through being juvenile, I'm sure Ryo would like to finish what he was saying."

"Sir," said Ryo, "the point I wanted to make was that I think we should still go ahead with the surveillance. Abernathy has a number of irons in the fire, and medical leave or no, he's still going to want to attend to his sideline business."

"I'm sorry, Randy," the Chief put in. "I know you guys worked really hard on this, but you're gonna have to let it go for now."

"Why does it have to be shelved?" Ryo demanded. "A leave of absence just means he has the leisure to put even more time into his criminal activities. It's the gang shake up that's motivated this, I know it."

"Don't be too sure," said the Chief. "According to Chief Hennessy, Mike really is on edge. The guy's been losing it recently. He confessed to coming in here last Monday and screaming at us, and you gotta admit that was total nutjob behavior. Then there was that business of leaving his partner down during the shootout and fire at the Navy Yard. He admitted that he feels he might be 'a danger to himself or others' and he's getting set up with counseling.

Ryo was silent. "This is all part of his game," he said. "I feel it."

"Well, when a cop says he thinks he's becoming a danger to himself and others, the NYPD tends to take that kind of thing seriously. He's got a three month LOA, and will be evaluated for a possible return to duty in the fall."

"Can't we still investigate him?"

"Randy, he's not even going to be here. Apparently, he and his wife are taking a six-week-long vacation in Florida. They're leaving in a few days."

"Has that been confirmed?"

"No, but you're welcome to call the airlines and ask for passenger lists on upcoming flights to Florida. I think you'll find it's not bogus. Mike wouldn't have lied to Chief Hennessy."

"Huh." Ryo's fists clenched in frustration where they rested on his knees. He couldn't believe that Lieutenant Abernathy was slithering out of his grasp like this. "So when he comes back we can resume the investigation?" he asked doggedly.

"If you wish," the Commissioner replied coolly. "However, if you're busy with other things at that time, you can always choose to hand over the case to another team."

"No, we'd like to see it through, sir," Ryo said, trying to hide how suddenly dispirited he felt. He would have to cancel the surveillance schedule he had set up. Now there would be a six week delay, and it would be harder to pick up the threads when the investigation eventually started up again.

"Uh, you said there was some good news?" prompted Dee.

The Commissioner smiled that smile again. "Why, yes. I've chosen you two to accompany me when I do my press conference after the committal service. You're going to have your faces on the national news!" He beamed paternally at them as though he were offering a pair of children a high treat.

"B-but, sir!" said a red-faced Ryo, who was anything but thrilled at having a stint on national TV suddenly sprung on him with practically no time to think it through. "Shouldn't you be accompanied by members of Detective Shaver's precinct? Like his partner, perhaps?"

"Oh, she'll be there too," the Commissioner told him reassuringly, "but in the background. She's not as photogenic as you two," he added. "Nor was she directly involved in Detective Shaver's final case, as you were."

"Well, how about Marty?" said Dee sarcastically. "He's not only photogenic, but black too! Maybe, with a little extra last-minute planning, we can rustle up a Cree-Hispanic dude in a wheelchair."

"Laytner," rumbled the Chief warningly.

Helen's normally impassive face seemed to twitch and she dropped her eyes toward her lap. Sergeant Pekoe, on the other hand, glared at Dee in open-mouthed outrage.

"That's enough, Laytner," said the Commissioner firmly. "Of course Detective Danes will be there. The four of you will be quite enough for us to show the nation the multifaceted and multi-talented face of the NYPD."

"Er, will we have to speak on camera?" Ryo was torn. The ambitious, career-driven half of him knew that being on TV in the company of the Commissioner was definitely going to raise his profile in the NYPD, but on the other hand, he was a man who liked his privacy. Especially considering the fact that he had recently entered into a secret homosexual relationship with his co-worker.

"Perhaps, Ryo, but if so, not much. I have complete faith in you to say the right sort of things if any of the reporters ask you questions. YOU, on the other hand"-- he directed his attention to Dee-- "are not to speak on camera without first asking yourself whether you're about to say something that will get you demoted to a desk job in some dark basement somewhere far, far from here."

Dee scowled, but said nothing.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

"Hey, we saw you on TV," said Carol excitedly. "You guys looked really cool. You should wear those uniforms more often."

Dee smiled at her and moved his shoulders this way and that. "Is the uniform doing it for you, princess? I never pegged you for that kind of girl."

"Not me," she said, "'cause I know what a smartass jerk you can be. But my friends are all, 'Ooooh, who ARE those guys?' Liz even said she wanted to lick your buttons! Gross."

Bikky screwed up his features and shuddered. "I just don't get it," he said.

"Does this mean I'm gonna have legions of teenage girls hounding me for autographs?" Dee paused in the doorway of the bedroom, trying not to be too obvious about looking at Ryo. His partner was already in there changing out of his dress uniform. There was a regular suit laid out on the bed. In another minute or so, he should be down to his shorts. Too bad they were still on shift.

"Nope," said Bikky with a smirk. "I told 'em you have hair on your back."

"WHAT? I don't have hair on my back!" Bikky once again had Dee's full, if outraged, attention.

"Who gives a shit?" Bikky shrugged. "The point is that now they think you do, so don't worry, you're safe! You can thank me either with cash or pizza."

"THANK you? I oughtta rip your--"

"Dee, quit arguing with the kids and hurry up and get changed. We've got to get back to the station."

Dee, recognizing an honorable retreat when he saw one, gave Bikky the finger and shut the door in the kid's smug face. "Okay, okay. Where are my clothes?"

"I might have also told 'em you have warts on your ass," said Bikky through the closed door. "Did I say that, Cal? I forget now."

"No, you didn't say that," Dee heard her say. "But you told them he wore a hairpiece and had false teeth."

"That slimy punk," Dee said disgustedly to Ryo. "Did you hear that?"

Ryo didn't answer at first, and then Dee realized it was because he was laughing. His shoulders were shaking and his hand was over his mouth in an effort to hold it in. It was suddenly borne in on Dee that his partner was not only shirtless, but he was also apparently in a good mood. Furthermore, they were alone in the bedroom together. They couldn't get up to much with the kids on the other side of the wall, but, Dee figured he could steal a kiss and maybe cop a quick feel.

"Baby, did I forget to mention how fucking hot you looked in your uniform today?"

"Actually, no, you didn't forget," said Ryo, who turned toward Dee, still snickering softly. "You told me several times." To Dee's surprise, Ryo suddenly sobered up and reached out and touched one of the gold buttons on Dee's chest. "But you know, you look pretty good in yours..."

The next moment they were in each other's arms, kissing passionately, their hands everywhere. Dee couldn't believe it. Normally, Ryo pretty much damped down his sex drive whenever Bikky and Carol were around, but right now he seemed totally revved up. Had to be the uniform. Dee filed that interesting conclusion away for later exploitation and started nudging Ryo in the direction of the bed. He hoped he had locked the door. He wasn't sure. It was hard to think clearly, what with Ryo's tongue in his mouth and Ryo's hands undoing his buttons.

"Muh," said Ryo against his mouth. "Nuh-uh. Not a good time. Let's stop..." But then he contradicted himself by nipping at Dee's neck and collarbone before pressing his lips back over Dee's in another hot, hungry kiss.

For a while, Dee's whole world narrowed to the heady sensations of soft lips, hot wet tongue, sweet breath, and eager hands moving inside his uniform, searching for bare skin...

Surprisingly, it was Dee who eventually found the strength to disengage. By that time, Ryo was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Dee, still in uniform, although it was mostly unbuttoned and his tie was hanging askew, was kneeling in front of him. They both had erections.

"Baby, I want you," he whispered sadly, "but we can't."

Ryo closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. His hair was mussed and his cheeks were flushed. He drew in a deep, trembling breath, and said softly, "I know. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Dee murmured, giving Ryo's knees an affectionate squeeze before reluctantly getting to his feet. "Never be sorry for that."

He turned away and quickly stripped without looking at Ryo. He knew his dick wouldn't go down as long as his partner was in his line of sight. After a moment, Ryo joined him next to the closet and both men changed into their everyday suits. Desire still crackled in the air between them, but they carefully avoided eye contact or speech until they were fully clothed again. There was a moment of danger when Ryo, who was straightening his hair in the mirror, caught sight of Dee's reflection watching him with yearning in his eyes, but they were helped along by Bikky who kicked at the door and yelled, "Jeez, how long does it take to get changed?"

Ryo tore his eyes away from Dee's and yanked open the door. "All done," he said cheerfully.

"About time. What the hell is wrong with your lips?" Suddenly, understanding dawned on Bikky's face. "Oh! Wait a sec, do NOT tell me! Sorry I asked."

"_I'll_ tell ya, punk-brat," said Dee coming out of the bedroom behind Ryo.

"No he won't," said Ryo quickly with a warning look at Dee. "Are you kids ready to eat?"

"Yeah, maybe. As soon as the urge to puke passes."

"Bikky!" Carol elbowed him with a sly grin. "Don't you have any sense of appreciation for love and romance?"

"Not when it's my dad, I don't," said Bikky honestly. "And especially not when it's perv-man here, either."

"So, hot dogs at the park, then?" suggested Ryo brightly as if no one had spoken. He looked at his watch. "Our break will be over in twenty minutes, but I think we can stretch it a little longer. You kids will have to come back by yourselves, though."

"Yay, hot dogs!" Bikky punched a fist in the air. "No vegetables!"

"What's wrong with vegetables?" asked Carol, hands on her hips.

"Everything," said Bikky, grabbing his keys. "Oh yeah, Ryo, I forgot to tell you. Tom called me last night. He wants to run away again."

"Oh? Has his father started beating him again?" Ryo looked sharply at Bikky.

"I dunno. He didn't say anything about that. He said his parents are going on some kind of second-honeymoon vacation and they're not taking him."

"Well, who's going to look after him then?"

"Some strict old aunt from Ireland is s'posed to be coming to New York to take care of him until school's out. After that, she's gonna drag him back with her to Ireland for the summer. He doesn't wanna go."

"Oh, well, he might enjoy it," said Ryo thoughtfully as he locked the door behind them. "Ireland is a beautiful country, and he has family there who will probably be happy to see him."

"Yeah, they can't all be as bad as his dad," said Dee.

"He probably won't run away until he's at least _met_ his aunt," said Carol practically. "Some aunts are great for stepping up when they're needed." Her own aunt Elina had taken her in when her father had died. "Right, Ryo?" She reached for his hand.

Ryo squeezed her hand and then kissed it. "You bet." Kind-hearted aunts with similar names was one of the things they had in common. Carol had just caused his aunt Elena to come to mind. If she and her husband Rick hadn't adopted him after his parents' sudden death, he didn't know what would have become of him.

"I bet Tom has lots of cousins," said Bikky, and Ryo thought he sounded a little wistful. Bikky didn't have any uncles or aunts to provide him with cousins. He had practically no family at all except Ryo.

They started down the stairs, and then Bikky said casually, "So if his dad's leavin' town, what does that mean for Eddie's murder investigation? Can me and Carol rest easy for a while?"

"Yeah, B. I think we can all rest easy for a while."

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

'What the hell is that stink?" asked Dee as he and Ryo walked into the 27th Precinct's break room together.

"It's JJ's pizza," Sheldon remarked from where he was sipping coffee at a nearby table. "Enter at your own risk."

"Jesus. Are you sure that's a pizza and not a dead jellyfish covered in cheese?"

"Oh, it's a pizza, all right," said Eliza. "Although, I think it could also be considered a weapon of mass police officer destruction." She, Drake and JJ were all grimly regarding the still steaming pie. It gleamed greasily in an open cardboard delivery box on the counter next to the fridge.

"JJ, are you insane?" Dee gave him a hard, interrogative stare.

"It wasn't my fault!" JJ hastily protested. "I would never order an anchovy and garlic pizza. After all, I've got my love life to think of."

"Not to mention your co-workers," said Eliza.

"Well, where did it come from?" asked Ryo, puzzled.

"It came from 'Bill'," said Drake with acid satisfaction.

"Who's Bill?" Ryo looked genuinely clueless, and Dee noted with pleasure that Bill apparently hadn't made much of an impression in that quarter.

"Would that be Detective Mitchell from the 62nd?" Dee asked, and JJ brightened.

"Yeah! Do you remember him, sempai? Tall, good-looking? Freckles?"

"I didn't think he was that good-looking," said Dee, and Drake agreed.

"Oh!" said Ryo, as his memory returned. "Bill. But why would he send you a pizza covered in anchovies and...did you say garlic?"

"I counted twenty-one cloves," said Eliza helpfully, at which Drake corrected her.

"Twenty," he said, before burying himself in a newspaper. "One of them is kind of split. It looks like two, but it's really one."

"That pizza really puts the 'ick' in garlic," said Ted, who had come in behind Ryo and Dee. He opened the fridge and scanned its contents. "Oh well, I suppose at least the 27th will be well-protected from the supernatural tonight."

"Drake actually wants to eat it," remarked JJ disapprovingly.

"What's that?" said Drake, lowering the paper at the mention of his name.

"JJ, did you do something to piss this Bill guy off?" Dee closed the pizza box and put first the cutting board and then the toaster on top of it. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to reduce the smell.

JJ looked worried. "Maybe," he said. "He asked me on a date for last night, but Captain Hunky--I mean Pete--- had already booked me for that night, so I said I'd have to take a raincheck."

"Ah, so this is a revenge pizza," said Eliza, nodding sagely.

"Don't be silly, Eliza!" JJ glared at her and tugged his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm gonna call him right now and clear this up."

"Hey!" exclaimed Ted, clapping his hand to his forehead. "Not again! I can't believe this!"

"What's the matter, Ted?" Ryo asked as he poured coffee for himself and Dee.

"This is like the fifth frickin' time that someone has drunk my chocolate milk," Ted complained. "I've got my name all over it, so it's not like anyone could get confused. The person who's doing this is doing it on purpose!"

"I bet it wouldn't happen if you switched to regular milk," suggested Ryo helpfully.

"Or just drank coffee like the rest of the _men_ around here," added Dee as he stirred copious amounts of sugar into his cup.

JJ was talking softly into the phone. "Really?" he said, and then giggled. "Well, thanks. No, no, don't apologize. It was a very sweet thought. I'll be sure to ask him about that."

At that moment, Liz from the lab, accompanied by a couple of the girls from central booking, walked in. They didn't get more than three steps through the door before they stopped dead, wrinkling their noses.

"Is there a corpse in here?" one of the girls asked.

"Sort of," said Ted. "I think the stink has already permeated my clothes." He sniffed his shirt sleeve, causing Liz's eyes to widen.

"Come on," she said to her friends. "Let's go to Amici's." They turned on their heels and departed, leaving Dee shaking his head at Ted.

"What?" Ted asked defensively.

"You _know_ what, you loser. You should write a book called 'How To Drive Away Chicks And Lead A Woman-Free Life' by 'Ted's Jealous Right Hand'."

"Dee!" Ryo protested, looking sympathetically at Ted. "Don't be so mean."

"Yeah, Dee," said JJ, shutting his phone with a snap. "Bill just explained why he sent me that pizza, and now I know that it's all your fault."

"But...it wasn't MY fault the girls left," said Ted, genuinely perplexed. "It really does reek in here, and this time it wasn't even me! I gave up my favorite hot-chili bean burritos because you all ragged on me so much."

Eliza sighed and shook her head.

"What were you saying about Bill?" Ryo asked JJ kindly. He felt a little sorry for JJ because no one had even acknowledged that he had spoken.

"Bill said that the night of the explosion-- remember that night when everyone was making a mess at my apartment?-- Dee told him that I wanted to order a garlic and anchovy pizza! Can you imagine? Me? I mean, really. It's just like Dee to play that kind of dumb practical joke," JJ informed him, speaking loudly in the hopes of getting Dee's attention.

But Dee wasn't listening. "Go!" he said to Ted. "Go after them. Buy them all coffee. Turn on the old Tedster-charm."

"And don't talk about sports, monster trucks or things that reek," added Eliza.

"Dee, have you heard a single word I've said?" JJ demanded.

"Huh? Nope, wasn't listening. Come on, Ryo, let's get upstairs." He winked at Ryo and then glanced over at Drake. "Hey, Parker, go easy on the pie there."

JJ whirled around in shock and glared at his partner. "Drake! I TOLD you not to eat that! I have to work with you--and smell you--for the rest of the evening. Put that slice down this minute! This minute!"

Drake's response was to chew faster and try to stuff the rest of the slice into his mouth.

"Told you it was revenge pizza," murmured Eliza to Dee and Ryo as she squeezed past them.

&.&.&.&.&.&.&

Ryo got home around midnight, after successfully fending off Dee's various suggestions. Everything that Dee had in mind would have kept him awake until at least two or three in the morning, and since he knew he had to get up at seven to get Bikky off to school, he wanted to go to bed, and more importantly, go to sleep, as soon as possible.

However, once he had lain down with the alarm clock set and the bedroom comfortably dark, he found that sleep eluded him. His mind reeled with the images of the day. So much had happened since this morning.

The day had started off well enough, with a huge, late breakfast for Bikky and his friends Jim, Dave and Kenny. Ryo had been able to go shopping on Saturday and the fridge was now stocked with food. He cooked sausages, bacon, hash browns and Bikky's favorite blueberry pancakes. He made cheesy scrambled eggs into which he sneaked a small amount of spinach and green onion. The boys washed their meal down with almost a gallon of milk between them.

Then Dee had arrived, his dress uniform slung over his shoulder in a garment bag. Ryo smiled to himself as he remembered how Dee sniffed the air and demanded to know what he had missed. Bikky and his friends took great delight in giving him every detail, and in letting him know that the meal was all gone and there were no leftovers in the fridge.

While Ryo stood over the boys and made them help with the kitchen clean-up, Dee went into the bedroom to change into his dress blues, and when he came out, he looked so striking that the sight of him had taken Ryo's breath away. For a moment he just stood there staring with his mouth open and then he realized that Bikky's friend Jim was saluting Dee, and Dee was saluting him back.

Ryo had of course seen Dee in his dress blues before, but this was the first time he had permitted himself to actually explore the sense of appreciation he felt for the way his partner's physical assets filled out that uniform. Back when Ryo had been determined to remain 'straight', he simply hadn't allowed his thoughts to go in that sort of direction. Sure, Dee had a face and body that turned heads wherever he went. Ryo was cognizant of that, just like he knew that the Commissioner was also handsome, and, in fact, so was JJ, although, to his mind, not in a particularly manly way. His aunt Elena was still a beautiful woman at forty-five, Bikky was a good-looking and well-made boy, Carol was an extremely pretty young girl. Just because he was aware of people's physical attractiveness didn't mean that he had to entertain sexual notions about them.

But ever since Dee had become his lover, it was impossible not to think sexual thoughts about him. Nowadays it seemed like every little thing Dee did caused a wave of goosebumps to sweep over him. All that man had to do was look at him in a certain way and he would feel his penis start to stir in his pants. That wicked green-eyed gaze caused his wits to scatter in all directions, made his lips tingle and his face grow warm. It was all he could do to keep his mind on the clock, on the job, on his son, on whatever he was supposed to be doing at any given time. The worst part was that he suspected that he often gazed at Dee like a lovesick cow. It was probably pretty conspicuous and because it was involuntary, half the time he didn't even notice himself doing it until it was too late.

Ryo had somehow managed to tear his eyes away from his partner's tall, broad-shouldered form in time to quickly produce popsicles for the boys before they left for the basketball court at Dundarave.

When the door had shut behind Bikky & company, Dee immediately closed on Ryo's position, trapping him in place with one hand against the wall beside his head. Ryo shrank back as six feet one of grinning, insolent, _uniformed_ masculinity asked him if he could have a popsicle, too.

"Sometimes, I just kinda need something to suck, y'know what I mean?" The low, suggestive tone of Dee's voice combined with his nearness and his scent awoke a thousand butterflies in Ryo's stomach.

In the past he would have hastily told himself that it was nothing more than shy or awkward feelings on his part that caused such a response. But now he had to admit that for several weeks running, he had been responding like this because Dee turned him on. Gay, bi, whatever the hell he was, Dee turned him on. And at that moment, if he didn't get some distance between himself and the intoxicating presence of this person, no this _man_--that he loved and desired more than anything, they were going to be late for Ned Shaver's big departmental funeral.

Ryo had said something appropriately dampening, although he couldn't recall what, and quickly ducked under Dee's arm. He locked himself in his bedroom so he could get changed in peace, not that there was much peace to be had, what with Dee banging disappointedly on the door, demanding to be allowed entry, and with his own suddenly erect penis making demands of its own.

He had gotten himself back under control by being distant and quiet, responding to all Dee's attempts at conversation with monosyllables and by avoiding eye contact as much as possible. He knew that once he got to work and was surrounded by his co-workers and things that needed his professional attention, he would feel better.

They had gone first to the 27th and then on to the funeral by subway at the Chief's recommendation. "You won't find parking within six blocks," he had said. "Take the train. And take those rookies Kirshenbaum and Lyndall with you. They're all worked up about their first departmental funeral ever. Lyndall is already sweating up a storm."

Ryo had agreed with alacrity. Anything to help bolster his shield against the dangerously irresistible powers of his partner. Dee had muttered imprecations against rookies and 'new children', but more or less controlled himself.

By the time they arrived in the Bronx, Ryo was feeling much better, but that turned out to be short lived. The funeral had been large, crowded and intense, his second funeral in less than a week. It only served to remind him that there had been too many funerals in his life, too much loss. Whenever he was attending an NYPD funeral, he always felt nervous and edgy. He couldn't help thinking, what if this were the Chief's funeral? Or Drake's or Ted's or someone else he knew and worked with regularly? What if it were... No he couldn't even finish that thought.

And just like that, he wanted to be close to Dee again. However, the presence of thousands of fellow police officers made anything he would have liked to say to or do with Dee a total no-go.

Then on top of all of the other frustrations of the day had come the news that Lieutenant Abernathy was once again sliding out of his grasp. He felt like every time he got a lead or started to get close to bringing that corrupt son of a bitch down, something happened that worked in the IA agent's favor. Some of those events had been engineered by Abernathy himself, but others had just been dumb luck.

He and Dee had commiserated about it during their long evening of paperwork at the 27th.

"You know as well as I do, babe," Dee said. "You win some, you lose some. We lost this round. Bastard was way ahead of us. He must have been planning his exit strategy for weeks, maybe even a long time before we came along."

Ryo, who always took it hard when a case was taken away from him or one of his busts somehow managed to beat the rap, could not understand this easy-come easy-go attitude of Dee's.

"How can you just accept it?" he demanded. "Aren't you pissed off? Don't you want to...to just throw that bastard up against a wall and cuff him really--" he ground his teeth-- "tight and painful?"

"Oooh baby, you're turning me on!"

"Like that's saying much!" Ryo made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Washing your car turns you on. But, seriously, haven't you fantasized about the look he'll have on his face as we Mirandize him? When he knows it's all over, that he lost, that he's going to spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes?"

"You're STILL turning me on."

"Shut up." Ryo slammed a drawer shut. "I can't believe this doesn't bother you."

"Ryo," said Dee patiently. "Don't be a dork. Of course it bothers me. But I know, even if you're forgetting, that we can't do this alone. When the brass say no, there goes the funding and there go Dee and Ryo to juvie or traffic if they're dumb enough to ignore directives and embarrass the Chief. We kinda have a history there, you gotta admit."

"Dee, I'm not suggesting that we act against orders and go watch his empty apartment in our spare time--"

"Good, because we've done that shit before and both got written up, although the worst part was no fuckin' overtime pay."

"It just sucks, that's all. I wanted to nail him."

"He'll get nailed, bro, don't worry."

"Yeah, but I wanted it to be _us_."

Dee shrugged. "Look at it this way. He's got six weeks away from the job to get lazy and let his guard down."

"Or six weeks to get all rested up before he starts controlling half the gangs in Brooklyn!"

"I can't believe this is ME saying this to YOU, but chill, dude. Grow a little patience. We've got other fish to fry for the next month."

"I should grow a little patience? _I _should? God, that's rich coming from you!"

They had bickered back and forth a little after that, until Ryo had finally let Dee have the last word so that he could get some work done. But Abernathy had not been far from his thoughts all evening. Even now, he gritted his teeth in the dark as he pictured the little man's red face and hostile eyes.

In his mind, he superimposed prison bars in front of that face. Ryo was the tenacious type. He had been an LEO for only six years, but he had already accumulated half a dozen previous busts whose parole hearings he marked on the calendar and went to. If there was anything he could do to make sure that these criminals did not get let back out on the streets any sooner than they absolutely had to, he would do it. He would apply the same dogged persistence to Michael Abernathy, and he envisioned the man's eventual undoing with a certain dark satisfaction. He agreed with Dee that it would come about. Of that he was certain. It was more a matter of when, not if. And Ryo was fully prepared to admit, even if only to Dee, that the matter had become personal. He had it in for that bastard Abernathy. He wanted to be the guy who arrested him. Whether it took weeks, months or years, he was going to get him.

Ryo moved restlessly in bed and hugged one of the extra pillows. Damn it, it was pushing one o'clock already and he wasn't even sleepy yet. He missed Dee. He was sure he'd be able to sleep if his partner was in bed beside him. He wondered if Dee was still awake, and briefly considered calling him, just to hear the sound of his voice.

Almost without thinking, he rolled over in the darkness and picked up the phone. Dee was number three and four on speed dial, three for his cell and four for his home number. Ryo's fingers caressed the number pad of the phone. Dee was probably awake. It had only been two hours since they had finished their shift. Dee was the kind of person who could never go to bed as soon as he got home from work, anyway. He was probably watching TV, or reading that motorcycle magazine he had bought at the train station after the funeral. Ryo lay on his back deliberating. Should he call? He would feel pretty foolish if he did. And what would he say? 'I'm lonely' or 'I miss you'? He couldn't imagine confessing to such weakness.

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but suddenly he became aware that he had somehow, unconsciously perhaps, pressed a couple of buttons in the darkness and now his phone was in the process of calling someone, probably Dee. Agh, no! He didn't want to call anyone at 1:00 am. He had a parental disapproval of late night phone calls, unless there was an emergency. Fumbling for the disconnect button, he managed to drop the phone somewhere in the bed, and before he was able to find it again, he ran out of time. He could hear Dee's voice on the other end of the phone line, saying, "Ryo? That you? Hello? Hello?"

"Damn," Ryo muttered and put the phone to his ear. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry, Dee. I didn't mean to call you. It was kind of...an accident. I was, um, holding the phone and..." _Stop talking, idiot_, he told himself fiercely.

He could hear Dee chuckling next to his ear.

"There are no accidents, babe. Well, except for that time I broke your mug, of course. But I've got a theory about this phone call. Wanna hear it?"

"Not really," said Ryo trying to sound bored. "You know, I should probably let you go back to sleep--"

"Whoa there, not so fast. I wasn't asleep. I was just laying here on the sofa, thinking about you."

"You were not, you liar." Ryo could feel his face going pink with pleasure. "You're probably just channel-surfing and thinking about basketball scores."

"Nah, I did that earlier. TV's off now. Couldn't concentrate, anyway. My brain's on the Ryo channel."

"Dee, that's nonsense and you know it," said Ryo. "You should go to bed. I know we don't work 'til three, but your neighborhood starts getting noisy pretty early."

"I'll go to bed after I beat off," said Dee in that voice he used when he wanted to get Ryo excited. "Like I said, my brain's on the Ryo channel and I can't change channels as easy as you think."

"Don't tell me you're going to...um...on the sofa? That's gross."

"No it's not. Got take-out napkins. I won't get any spunk on the upholstery, I promise. Hey, wanna stay on the phone and listen while I get the job done here?"

"What?" Ryo was appalled and excited all at once. To his surprise, he realized that his hand was on his own penis, feeling it through his pajamas.

"Just stay on the phone with me. Let me hear you breathing. Even the sound of your voice will do it." There was a grin in Dee's voice.

"This is just a ploy to get me talking dirty, isn't it?"

"Only if you really want to," replied Dee, who was starting to sound a little breathless. "But you know, it doesn't really matter what you say. Talk about the weather. Anything."

"Really? All right, the weather then," said Ryo, who told himself that all he was feeling was amused. "I heard that there's more heat in the forecast tomorrow, with highs of 78..."

"Aw yeah, heat," muttered Dee. "And what was that about thighs?"

"There's a twenty percent chance of precipitation, possibly even a thundershower."

"Mmm, picturing you soaking wet, babe, with your tee-shirt sticking to your skin...What are you wearing right now? Are you naked?"

"Of course not. I never go to bed naked."

"Ah, so you're in bed then!" Dee's voice dropped even lower. "Pajamas or boxers?"

"Um, both."

"Ryo, isn't it a little hot for pajamas? I think you should take them off."

"Well...it IS kind of hot..."

"Are you taking them off?"

"Yes, but only because it's warm in here. That's the only reason."

"Whatever. Just get 'em off," Dee groaned.

Ryo rustled around and wriggled out of his pajama bottoms. He hadn't intended to take his boxers off, too, but somehow they went down with the pajama pants. It was rather difficult doing that with one hand while holding the phone to his ear.

"Oh God, yeah, sweetheart, just keep breathing like that. I can see you so clearly."

"Oh, you can?" Ryo tried to sound sardonic. "What am I doing then?"

"You're lying on your back in the middle of the bed. You're naked. Your legs are open and your dick is hard." Dee stopped talking long enough to take a couple of deep breaths through his nose. "It's hard, right?"

Ryo hesitated. "Yeah," he finally said.

"And you're touching it, right?"

"Urhm...Yeah."

"What does it feel like?"

Ryo panicked, and went silent.

"Ryo?" Dee paused and tried again. "Ryo! Are you still there? Say something. Anything. We can even go back to the weather if you like. Did you happen to hear anything about the seven-day forecast?"

"Er, hot, I think," Ryo mumbled shyly.

"That's my baby. It's gonna be hot and sweaty, huh? Should I wear a muscle tank tomorrow?"

"Um, you know the Commissioner hates it when you dress like that for work." Ryo's voice came out sounding slightly hoarse.

"Yeah, I know." Dee snickered. "He's just jealous 'cause I'm more ripped and less hairy than he is. But let's not talk about that asshole. Come on, play with your nipples, love. That's what I'm picturing you doing."

"What are _you_ doing, Dee?"

"I'm pulling on my cock. I'm touching my nuts with my other hand. I'm looking at your naked body in my mind. Your nipples are hard and I'm about to suck 'em. You like it when I suck your nipples, don't you?"

"Um...yeah."

"I'm gonna suck other parts of you, too, Ryo..." Dee's voice trailed away and he seemed to be waiting.

Ryo couldn't resist. "Like...which parts?"

Dee laughed a soft, throaty sound. "Jesus, I love you! Which parts. Fuck. Ryo, Ryo. I'm going to kiss you, like right now. In my fantasy, I'm _owning_ your mouth with my tongue."

"I--I like that," said Ryo shyly.

"And then when your sweet little tongue comes poking into my mouth to try to get some of its own back, I'm gonna catch it and suck on it. I'm gonna suck it and let it go, but if it comes back, I'll suck it again and again, for as long as you'll let me."

"Dee, cut it out!" Ryo opened his legs wider, the palm of his hand moving flatly up his penis. His lips felt swollen. He wasn't sure whether he really wanted Dee to stop or not.

"And when I'm done kissing you, I'm gonna suck your dick for you, babe. I'm gonna do it the way you like it, deep and tight, lots of friction. You like that, don't you?"

"Yes, Dee," Ryo whispered.

"In my throat, in and out. I know you like that. I know you fantasize about it. You do, don't you?"

"Well, maybe," murmured Ryo noncommittally.

"In, in, all the way in, to the root, your balls on my chin, everything hot, wet and tight..."

"For Pete's sake, Dee! This is--I never--this is...weird!"

"Shh, baby, trust me here. Go with it, keep touching yourself. Don't bail on me now, you sexy thing."

Ryo just moaned in response. He felt exceedingly foolish, but painfully aroused at the same time. He had a real weakness for Dee's particular brand of bedroom talk.

"Ryo, love, fuck my face. Go on, do it, I can take it. I love it when you go in deep. It gets my dick hard."

"Dee," Ryo panted. "This is hot, it really is. B-but I feel silly. It's not like the real thing. The real thing--_you_, that is, there's no substitute for that."

"Really? There's no substitute for me?"

"I mean it. It's the truth. But this--this, er, _phone_ sex we seem to be having just isn't...I'm sorry, maybe..." Ryo paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "Maybe we should just say good night."

"Say good night?" Dee's voice rose in disbelief. "Okay, babe, listen up. I've got a raging hard-on here, and I'd bet my Valentino jacket that you do too. There's only two ways this thing can end. Either we do a satisfying mutual jerk off over the phone like this, or you put your pecker on ice and give me ten minutes to get there, and to hell with Bikky when I do."

Ryo hesitated, his thoughts chasing each other disjointedly. His jerky inner dialogue went something like this: _Dee, sex, sleep, wake up, Dee, more sex, must be quiet! Dee, love..._

"Dee," he said softly, and then took a deep breath. "I know this is asking a lot, but please come here. I need _you_. I need to touch you."

"Gimme ten," said Dee with finality, and hung up.

Ryo hung up too, feeling exhilarated and guilty. He was making Dee drive to his place on short notice after one AM on a Sunday night, after refusing the same plan over two hours earlier when Dee had been the one to suggest it.

He lay in bed for a moment, idly caressing his own body, wondering if Dee would really be there in ten minutes like he said. He had never had this kind of power over a lover before. In fact, he had always been the one that his female lovers had power over. But he had never been as eager for them as Dee was for him. He just couldn't imagine turning out on short notice in the middle of the night, especially for a nonessential purpose, for any of the women he had previously believed himself to be in love with.

Should he take a shower? No not necessary. He had taken one when he got home and the air conditioner had been on ever since. He hopped out of bed feeling his erection bob as he did so, and threw on his robe so as to go to the apartment door and unlock it. On the way back to the kitchen, he paused long enough to dig out a coconut-scented candle that JJ had brought him back from his last vacation. It was tacky, but it would do. He lit it and returned with it to the bedroom, selected a CD and popped it into the small portable stereo he kept by his bed. He moved the little stereo as close to the door as its electrical cord would allow. If Bikky, for any reason, ended up outside his bedroom tonight, hopefully he would hear the music and not the sex. In any case, Ryo was determined to be as quiet as possible. As long as Dee didn't penetrate him, he felt that he could probably pull that off. There was something about the intensity of penetrative sex--'fucking' as Dee would have unhesitatingly said, in Ryo's recent and new experience of playing the bottom role in a gay relationship, that made him noisier than he had ever been before. He didn't understand it, but for once, he didn't care.

Dee had talked about sucking. Well, that was what he wanted: to be sucked. And he would certainly suck in return, fair being fair. He planned to insist upon it, just in case Dee tried to dissuade him. As for, well, _fucking_, that could wait until tomorrow when Bikky was at school.

Having returned to the bed, he lay in the flickering candlelight, naked and spread-eagled, exactly as Dee had described him earlier, and waited for his lover to come. He felt sexy, and even a little assertive. To hell with Abernathy and Detective Greenspan and all those who felt that homosexual love was a sin. They could just go jump off Pier 88. They would change their tune quickly enough if they ever had the good fortune to meet a same-sex lover who possessed even a fraction of the sex appeal and skills that Dee did.

Ryo knew he had a lot to be grateful for. And when Dee walked into his bedroom twenty, rather than ten, minutes later wearing his dress blues, his gratitude rose to new levels.

"Dee!" he whispered, raising himself up on his elbows and staring at his lover in unfeigned and incoherent delight. "You--you--you--"

"Look unbelievably hot? Yeah, I know," Dee murmured, still managing to sound cocky despite the necessary softness of his voice. "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't apologize. It was worth it." Ryo's eyes drank in the sight of Dee in his uniform. Its brass buttons seemed to spark in the candlelight.

Dee saluted him. "Detective Dee Laytner, reporting for duty," he said. "Ready, willing and able to protect you from the debilitating effects of blue balls. I'm here to serve you in any way you require."

Ryo's penis, which had gone half-soft during the twenty minute wait, had been growing longer and harder since the moment Dee had entered the room. He looked at his penis and then he looked at Dee. "Good. I accept your offer." He hoped he sounded confident, but more than that, he hoped Bikky stayed asleep. "Now, what the hell are you waiting for?"

"Uhhh, orders?" said Dee hopefully. He kicked off his shoes and started forward. "How exactly would you like me to serve you, Ryo my love?"

"Your mouth," Ryo mumbled, his face pink, but his eyes bravely meeting Dee's. "First, use it here." He touched his lips. "Then, here..." His hand strayed to his nipples. "And finally--" his hand swept down the flat muscular plane of his stomach until it rested on his penis-- "here. Like you said on the phone."

Dee straddled him and tugged his tie loose with one hand. He grinned down at Ryo in his typical cocksure way, but Ryo could see that his eyes were full of love. "Yes, sir," he whispered. "I swear to perform my duty to the best of my abilities. And my best is pretty damn good," he added confidently.

Ryo reached up with both hands and ran them appreciatively over Dee's uniformed chest and shoulders. "Quit talking," he muttered, "and get busy!"

Dee's mouth suddenly descended onto his, kissing him in exactly the commanding way he had described earlier when they had been talking on the phone. Ryo kissed him back for all he was worth, clinging to Dee's lapels, moaning when Dee lifted his head to change the angle, reveling in the plunge and sweep of their tongues, even the slight scratch and scrape of their late night whiskers.

Then Dee's mouth withdrew from his, and he felt his partner's weight come down to settle fully upon him for a moment, before moving slowly, an inch at a time, down his body. He could feel the brass buttons of the uniform scraping coolly against his skin. Then Dee's mouth and hand were on his chest, his tongue darting wetly over one cupped pectoral. When Dee's strong mouth finally closed over the nipple he had selected, Ryo reacted by sucking in his breath and arching his hips. For reasons that he was sure did not make biological sense, his nipples seemed to have changed inside the space of about two months from two useless little nubs of nothing to a pair of wildly sensitive and responsive mini-sex organs. They seemed to be wired directly to his penis. When Dee pinched, rolled, bit, sucked or licked his nipples, the action would inexplicably send his erection into a state of almost feverish hardness. It was certainly leaking preseminal fluid and although Ryo was aware of this, he couldn't seem to stop himself from lifting his hips and rubbing his penis excitedly against Dee's uniformed belly.

"Dee," he gasped presently. "I'm--I'm making a mess of your uniform..."

"That's what drycleaners are for, sweetheart. Besides, it's not like it's motor oil, or something. Rub away to your, er, dick's content, but don't get too excited. If you come ten seconds after I get you into my mouth, I'm gonna feel gypped."

"Dee," said Ryo again, and then moaned long and low as Dee's tongue set up a hard flicking action on his other nipple.

"Mmm?"

"We must, we absolutely_ must_ keep it down okay?"

"You're the noisy one, babe. Are you telling me not to turn you on?"

"No...Just help me to be quiet, okay?"

"You got it. If you don't wanna chew on a pillow, I'll cover your mouth--" his hand moved up to Ryo's face and Ryo felt Dee's fingers across his lips-- "like this." Without thinking, he darted his tongue out at them, and Dee responded by moving them back and forth and slipping his thumb into Ryo's mouth. Ryo sucked it and Dee smiled.

"If it'll help set your mind at rest, I forgot to tell you that a couple of days ago I moved the head of your bed out another inch or two from the wall. There won't be any headboard percussion on Bikky's wall tonight."

"Mmph," said Ryo and then turned his head aside to get Dee's thumb out of his mouth. "Can you... Can you keep the blues on as long as possible?" he asked shyly, pushing his penis steadily against the slightly stiff fabric.

Dee chuckled. "You bet. It was kind of obvious today that you've got a thing about the uniform."

"Not just the uniform," Ryo corrected him. "I've seen a lot of guys wearing it during my career so far. It's _you_ in the uniform."

"Well, that's even better," said Dee, sounding satisfied. "I promise to keep it on, even if it gets in the way. Good thing you've got the air conditioning on." He returned to Ryo's first nipple and worked it gently with his teeth while pinching the other one with his fingers. Ryo emitted a sound that was quickly cut off, and Dee almost laughed at the sight of his lover pressing a corner of the pillow against his mouth.

He slid further down Ryo until his face came into contact with a very rigid, hot, sticky cock. He licked it hard, tasting the man-essence that leaked from the head, and Ryo made another of those muffled sounds.

For a while, Dee teased it with his tongue, licking it up and down, not allowing it to go inside his mouth. A couple of times Ryo's hand came down onto his own dick and tried to guide it inside Dee's mouth, but Dee laughed softly and evaded it. He continued to work in his own way, slowly taking his partner into a state of frantic excitement. The reactions that he was able to produce in Ryo were causing his dick to harden almost uncomfortably in his trousers. He reached down to undo his fly, and suddenly Ryo's hand was nudging his shoulder. He looked up questioningly at his lover.

"Dee, don't...um...don't..." Ryo's face was flushed with excitement, but even if it hadn't been, Dee knew that he would have been red from embarrassment.

"Yes?" Dee said encouragingly, but with a look of mischief. He had an idea what Ryo wanted to say and he wondered if he would be able to actually spit it out this time.

Ryo laid his head back on the pillow and looked at the ceiling. There was a pause and then when he spoke, the words came out in a rush. "After you do me, I want to do you. So, don't, uhh, finish yourself off early, okay?"

"Okay," said Dee meekly, hiding his smile. "I would love for you to 'do' me, baby, any way you want. But first, I'm gonna take care of you." He licked the length of Ryo's dick and it jumped excitedly under his tongue. "I may need to take my cap off for this next part. Is that all right?"

"Okay," said Ryo softly, watching as Dee removed his eight-point cap and spun it across the room like a frisbee. It landed neatly on the bedroom's only chair.

Dee shifted most of his weight off Ryo's legs so that he was more or less lying alongside him. Then he glanced up at Ryo and gave him a cocky wink before lowering his head to to the hard, eager dick that awaited his attentions.

Ryo kept his eyes open throughout. The flame from the single candle flickered and jumped, illuminating the fully clothed form of the man in his bed. The positions they were in prevented Ryo from being able to see the brass buttons of Dee's dress blues uniform, but he had looked and touched his fill earlier, and he knew they were there. The sight of a man in uniform performing fellatio on him, struck him as extremely exciting, as well as vaguely familiar. He realized that this very image had been one of many that used to flash through his head on numerous occasions in the past when he had been nearing orgasm with a female partner. He had never really paused to examine or analyze it, not that he would have been willing to ask himself any hard questions in those days. But now he knew something about himself that he had spent a lifetime trying to erase: he was attracted to men, and in particular to this tall, lean, dark-haired man in his bed. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Dee, and sooner or later, he would have to deal with how he was going to reconcile that fact with his heterosexual public image. It was worrisome and more than a little frightening. But somehow, he felt that everything was going to be all right.

Dee was teasing him, taking him to the edge and then pulling back. Ryo whimpered in helpless frustration behind his pillow as the practically overpowering urge to ejaculate subsided each time. He knew Dee was delaying his orgasm for his own enjoyment as well as for Ryo's. It had been hard for Ryo to understand when Dee had first pleasured him in this way, that his partner really liked doing this, that it was a compelling turn-on for him, and he truly wanted to do it. Ryo's previous sex partners had been nowhere near as enthusiastic, nor as adept.

He realized that he was totally in Dee's power. He was conscious of a desire to be that good, to have that kind of power too, just before his orgasm began to build within him for the third time. God, he wanted to release it, to let go. Would Dee allow him to? There was only one way to be sure. He would have to beg, and it wouldn't be the first time.

"Dee, please," he whispered. "Let me, let me! Go deep. Please! Now, Dee, please..." The pressure in his balls was almost unbearable. He rocked and thrust, the muscles of his hips and buttocks tightening, and suddenly the teasing stopped and Dee really got down to business. Ryo pressed his pillow firmly to his mouth helpless in the grip of the sensations between his legs. Before long, he exploded, whimpering and groaning through clenched teeth. Dee held his position as Ryo's orgasm overtook them both. When it was over, he slowly withdrew his mouth from Ryo's manhood but continued to caress it in slow strokes with his hand. Ryo quivered and jerked under him and one last little pulse rushed out of the head of his dick and ran in several droplets down its length. Delighted, Dee quickly lapped it up.

"Liquid sex," he said. "Tastes like heaven."

"Dee, was I noisy?"

"Better than usual. Not noisy enough to wake the brat up, I don't think." He sat up and they both listened, but all they could hear was the acoustic guitar music of the Oscar Lopez CD Ryo had put in earlier playing softly near the door. "Hear that?" Dee said. "No pattering of rugrat feet."

Their eyes met, and Dee gazed at him affectionately. "Feeling better?"

Ryo nodded and smiled shyly.

"Want me to keep wearing the uniform for the next part?"

Ryo licked his lips self-consciously, his eyes falling on the sizable bulge in the front of Dee's rumpled uniform trousers. "Uh-huh."

"Then get on your knees and suck my cock, Detective MacLean." Dee sat on the edge of the bed with his legs spread, looking expectantly at Ryo.

Ryo quickly got up and retrieved Dee's cap from the chair in the corner. He held it out to Dee in mute appeal.

The corners of Dee's mouth twitched with amusement as he tried not to laugh. "You," he said to Ryo as he took the cap and set it on his head, "are fucking adorable. Now, c'mere." He pointed at the floor between his knees. "Don't worry, it won't take long," he added. "Giving you head got me in a hair-trigger condition. I'm ready to blow any moment."

Ryo suddenly felt as though a little light bulb had come on above his head. "Ohh!" he said. "_That's_ why they call it a blowj--" He clapped a hand over his mouth while Dee snickered.

Ryo frowned and put his fingers to his lips. Then he dropped to his knees in front of Dee and reached for his partner's fly. For some strange reason, his thoughts went to Detective Greenspan. She would find this beautiful, sensual and loving act disgusting, ignoramus that she was.

"What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing," said Ryo as he drew Dee's zipper down. "You'd better not be planning to talk all the way through this, you know. We have to be quiet."

"I'm the quiet one, remember?"

"God help us, then," Ryo said with a confidence that wasn't one hundred percent real. But it was stronger than before and growing every day. He smiled up at Dee, who grinned down at him.

"I want to make you feel good," Ryo continued, as he freed his partner's lust-swollen erection from the prison of his uniform pants, "for all sorts of reasons. But mostly because I love you. Now stop talking." He bent his head down and licked the salty tip of Dee's penis, enjoying the little gasp that this action produced.

_Suck my cock, Detective MacLean._ If Lieutenant Abernathy could see him now! But of course, he didn't want to think about that dirty son of a bitch any more tonight. He firmly pushed that pathetic little man out of his mind. _Now is the time for love,_ he thought. There would be time enough for justice.

End of **FAKE First Year Together:** **A New Day (May)**

Additional author's notes: There's an epilogue to this story on my Livejournal. The first chapter of the sequel, Justice, is there as well. I'll publish the epilogue here in about a week. Thanks for reading.


	45. Epilogue

**Fake First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

By Brit Columbia

**Epilogue**

_Fandom: _ Fake

_Pairing: _ Dee/ Ryo, but they don't appear in the epilogue

_Rating:_ Worksafe! There are no sexy people in this chapter. Stand down, pervs.

_Spoilers: _ To Volume 7

_Timing:_ Set in May, directly after book 7 ended

_Summary:_ Just in case you were wondering about this guy...

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. Len Jarvis and Jed Haverson are mine. I have not based these characters on any living person.

Author's notes: There are some incredibly long author's notes at the end, if you can stand to read them. Chapter one of** Justice**, the sequel to this story is already up at my home page. You can find the link on my profile page here at this site.

_Thank you's:_ First, I will always be grateful to Sanami Matoh for creating FAKE in the first place. It really had a huge effect on me and will live in my heart forever. I also owe a debt of gratitude to all the people who helped me on the long road of this story: my betas bluesimplicity, mtemplar , moontatoo and the_ladyfeather. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, your expertise, your suggestions and your enthusiasm. You saved my credibility many times over!

Thanks also to loki_the_fraud and bale_ikura for your help with locations and police procedure, respectively. You guys helped me to add much needed authenticity.

**FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)**

_Epilogue_

Len Jarvis looked pityingly at the sorry-looking chump he had hired. Why did he have such a soft spot for losers? He had given opportunities to many of them over the years, and not always, he had to admit, with a good outcome. His late wife had been right. One should try to give a helping hand to those who can help themselves and just need a little bit of help getting started, not the ones who make a hash-up of everything they do and end up pulling you down with them, whether they mean to or not. He hoped this fellow wouldn't turn out to be one of the latter.

The guy sitting across from him looked thoroughly disreputable. He had two black eyes, a recently broken nose that seemed to have set crookedly, and a nasty burn on his neck. He was also sporting several days of stubble. He moved with the stiffness of a man who had either been in some kind of accident, or who had had the crap beaten out of him. Len felt that all evidence appeared to point toward the second option. The badly set nose and the inflammation around the burn seemed to indicate a lack of medical attention, also. He hadn't been willing to talk about his circumstances, saying only that he had given up on trying to make it in Jersey, and just wanted to come back to the sea.

"This your first visit to Maine, sir?" Len called everyone sir.

"No."

"You a fighter?" Len looked at his injuries skeptically, and the man looked a little abashed.

"Oh, you mean this." He pointed to his face. "Guy wouldn't give up, er, give me back my shirt." He indicated the oversized black hooded sweatshirt he was wearing. "Plus, his friends kinda had a problem with me. Guess they thought I was easy meat." His mouth twisted in a half grimace, half smile. "Not so easy in the end."

"You got people after you, sir?" Len frowned at him, wondering for the second time if he had made a mistake.

"No, it's not like that. No one will be looking for me." He said it with such finality that Len believed him.

On the whole however, he looked like trouble with a capital 'T'. Len admitted to himself that the only reason he had given this one a chance was the sadness in his eyes. He seemed to be carrying some kind of deep and possibly recent grief. He looked like the kind of guy who might up and walk in front of a train unless life gave him a couple of breaks.

Len sighed. "So, you say you can dive?"

"Yeah, got a lot of experience."

"You got certification?"

"Used to. It expired."

"Planning to recertify?"

"Not for a while."

"Seen a doctor recently? That burn on your neck looks to be getting infected."

"Uh, I guess I should. Is there a clinic around here? I can pay."

"Yeah, there's one in town," Len informed him. "I'm taking the truck in tomorrow to buy some paint and lumber for the new dock. You can ride along if you want."

"Thanks. Guess I will."

"What did you say your name was again?"

The man hesitated, his face seeming to close. "Haverson. Jedediah. But you can call me Jed."

Len looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "That's a pretty down-south name for a man with a Big Apple accent," he remarked.

"Well, my mother was a church-going woman." Jed, or whatever his name was, seemed to have abandoned eye contact.

"Ah well, I can never remember anyone's name, anyhow," Len said reassuringly. "Welcome aboard. I'll be glad of another pair of hands around this place. It was last year I realized it was getting a bit much for me. It was a shock to think that perhaps I'm gettin' old! Me! Imagine that." He shook his silver head self-deprecatingly.

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis. I really appreciate your kindness."

"Kind nothing! I'll be working you hard, you know. Once the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, that is. You'll be scraping barnacles off boats, repairing the docks for me, and slapping down paint and tar 'til you've had quite enough of life in a nowhere little place like this." Len leaned forward and gave his new employee a hearty clap on the shoulder. "You go on to bed now, and I'll see you in the morning. You'll find blankets in the stow lockers on the boat. It sounds like you've gone through some hard times recently, but hey, the air is good in this place." He smiled encouragingly and waved a hand that indicated the world outside his office. "Fresh and sweet, not like life in the city. If you're looking for a new start, this place'll do for now. You'll be feelin' more like yourself tomorrow."

With faraway eyes, Jed gazed out the window for a moment, the window that opened onto the dusty road that led out of the marina. His face wore an expression of such wistful and naked longing, that Len looked away. It had to be a broken heart this fellow was suffering from, he decided. Up until now, he had been thinking that maybe it had been an untimely death, perhaps of a family member.

"Er...If you ever need someone to talk to, sir, I've been told I'm not a half-bad listener."

Jed's eyes returned to his new employer, and he seemed to give himself a kind of shake. Moving stiffly, he rose from his chair and offered Len his hand.

"Thanks," he said, "but I've noticed that talking doesn't bring anything back or change what's done. As you said, tomorrow's a new day. All a man can do is wake up and live it, one hour at a time. Good night, Mr. Jarvis." He slung his backpack over one shoulder and picked up his battered red tool box.

"Good night, sir. Sweet dreams."

As the screen door closed softly behind him, a seagull called outside from one of the pilings, a cry of exile that went unanswered. It was a lonely sound in the fading light.

**~end~**

Additional author's notes:

Yes, it's really over. I know, I can't believe it, either. This story sort of went on forever. Three years, as a matter of fact! I know I left some loose ends in this one, but I'll address them all in the sequel, Justice. I just had to end A New Day somewhere because 44 chapters, and every one averaging about 7000 or 8000 words is insanely LONG. My first writing effort. *pets it affectionately* It's kind of like the first-born child that new parents make all their mistakes on before they evolve into lean, mean parenting machines. (Can you tell I'm a first-born child?)

What I learned from the process of writing A New Day: when I write a book in the future, don't publish it in installments! If I were to write A New Day again, I would organize the delivery of info differently and take out great chunks here and there to tighten it up. A lot of the hints I dropped in A New Day, I would save for the sequel. But, ah well! What's done is done. I'm not going to go back in and mess with it. I'm going to let it stand as is. It will be interesting for me to read it again ten or fifteen years from now and wince at the mistakes I made while congratulating myself on having improved as a writer.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the part that the readers played in the creation of this story, from beginning to end.

I'm not one of those writers who writes for him or herself, and I never will be. I write for readers. If I thought no one would read my work, I never would have put in the time and energy to write this story and the other ones. I would have used that time and energy for other things. Since I was thirteen, I created stories and movies in my head, but I never, ever wrote them down. I didn't think anyone would read them or like them. They were ninety percent M/M romance/adventure/drama, and they were nothing like the books I've read in the past that were for gay readers. I didn't know until I read FAKE by accident one day in Chapters Bookstore that there was actually a large market out there of women who would be interested in the subjects of my private imaginings! Lightbulb moment. I began to write because I had reason to believe that even if my work didn't turn out to be popular, someone somewhere would like it.

From the outset, I have wanted what I think most writers want, which is for people to read my work and like it. You, my past, present and future readers gave and continue to give me that. Collectively rather than individually, you spent thousands of hours of your time reading this story. So many people took the time to offer me feedback and encouragement along the way. This ongoing support was what helped me to develop self-discipline and judgment as a writer. If I had been working in a vacuum, I honestly don't know if this project would have ever gotten off the ground. So thank you a thousand times for your interest, your attention and your time! I hope you'll want to continue reading the things I write.


End file.
